Rabito Organises Skin Screening

Prof Delle (left) talking to a section of the public at the screening exercise.

RABITO CLINIC Limited, a leading healthcare facility in dermatology has held a free skin screening exercise for the general public as part of activities to mark its 40th anniversary.

The clinic which deals in the treatment of diseases of the skin, hair and nails screened about 200 members of the public while offering free consultation for patients scheduled for appointments.

Professor Edmund Delle, Founder and Medical Director of Rabito Clinic, said the screening was to make the clinic more visible to the public while performing their social responsibility.

'What we are doing is to first educate the public on how important it is to ensure their skin is healthy and then also spread the news that Rabito has been in existence for 40 years now,' he said.

He said the skin is the largest and most important organ of the body that needed to be cared for properly, indicating that the clinic has established branches across the country especially in rural areas where such specialist healthcare is difficult to access.

Prof Delle said, 'We have been trying to contribute to the health of Ghanaians and their skin and from 1976 till now, we've have gone to the

rural areas to give our specialist care.'
He, however, bemoaned the inadequate number of dermatologists in the country indicating that the whole of sub- Saharan Africa has only 300 dermatologists with Ghana having only 20.

He said the clinic through its advocacy activities is making young doctors to be interested in dermatology in order to boost the workforce in skin healthcare in the country.

'This is the only clinic that has about 15 branches all over the country. We have trained nurses to talk to the people about their health and also tell them some dangers about products they use on their skin,' he said.

Skin Bleaching
Prof Delle said using cosmetic products that bleach the skin is not only dangerous to the health but also has dire consequences such as skin cancer.

He said when one uses bleaching products; the skin loses its pigment which exposes it to infections because the cover of the skin has been taken off.

'And those who even have beautiful skins, when they bleach, you see the stretch marks from the creams and some of them contain mercury and limb and these go into the blood stream affect your brain and kidney,' he said.

Prof Delle, thus, advised the public to use products that promote a healthy skin. 'We have to exercise, eat a balanced diet and use moisturising

creams because of our weather climate,' he said