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23.06.2004 General News

USA Medical team to offer free medical services

23.06.2004 LISTEN
By GNA

Accra, June 23, GNA - A 23-member team of medical doctors and students of the Students National Medical Association (SNMA) from the United States of America have arrived in the country to offer free medical services to the people of Ada in the Dangme East District. The team, scheduled to stay for two weeks at the invitation of the Neko Tech Centre, a non-governmental organisation based at Ada, would also take part in this year's NEKO Tech fourth Annual Save a Million Lives HIV/AIDS Conference.

Briefing the media on Wednesday after the official opening of the conference, Princess Asie Ocansey, Founder and Chief Executive of NEKO Tech, said HIV/AIDS was threatening the family fibre of Africa and Ghanaians were no exception.

She said the health of the people was the health of the community and "if hands are not joined to check the rate of HIV infection, we will be wiped out by this dreadful menace", she said.

Princess Ocansey said there were people in Ada, who had not seen a doctor for a whole year because of financial problems.

'Many people are dying on the quiet from preventable diseases in this District because of poverty and it is about time government took a second look at this District".

She said the Medical Team would in collaboration with the District Health Service Directorate train nurses in the District on HIV/AIDS Counselling, engage in awareness campaign on the menace and offer free medical services in the areas of screening for general diseases, obstetrics and gynaecology.

Princess Ocansey said the team would in addition to the services donate medical supplies to the Dangme East District Hospital.

Dr Justice Hoffman, Ada District Director of the Ghana Health Service, said the pandemic was very prevalent in the District, even though, he could not readily give statistics to support that because the District was relying on the Regional Office to screen for HIV/AIDS since it did not have testing facilities until recently.

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