As part of activities to mark its 15th anniversary, the Destiny International Covenant Church on Thursday, September 21, organised a free health screening for over 500 people in Ashaley Botwe and its environs.
The exercise formed part of the church’s effort to ensure that members and residents of Ashaley Botwe and its environs were healthy and knew their health status.
Services offered included eye tests, blood sugar tests, blood pressure tests, urine tests, and hepatitis b tests among others as well as the provision of free medications for persons who needed them. Beneficiaries were also educated on general healthcare issues.
The Operational Head of the exercise, who is a Clinical Microbiologist, Emmanuel Osisiogu said the screening was vital for people to know their health status.
“What we are doing is running some routine examinations on the clients. Blood group, blood pressure, malaria status, Hepatitis B status, blood glucose, urine chemistry, Body Mass Index. We are trying to check to be sure that their health is of good status, generally that their sugar level is okay. to make sure that they know their hepatitis b status.”
“Those who will need to get vaccinated will go ahead and get it. We will check their malaria status and we are treating them as well for those who are positive. And then the blood group, at least for the purpose of marriage issues you should know. And we will help advise them on how to live their lives and stay away from infections,” he stated.
Mr Osisiogu stressed that knowing one’s blood group was imperative for marriage to help avoid diseases like hemolytic disease of the newborn among others.
Bishop Dr Immanuel Yeboah, Head Pastor of the Destiny International Covenant Church said the church usually organised free health screening during its anniversaries.
“Most often when we have an anniversary we do this medical screening,” he said, adding that “the church is not only spiritual but also we take care of our bodies that is why we encourage people to also take care of their health in general. And generally, when we do so we open it up to the immediate environment”
He indicated that the anniversary was being celebrated on the theme “Great Awakening.”
Amazing Grace, a Pastor of the Church said the free health screening which had been organised as part t of activities to mark the church’s 15th anniversary had been well received by members of the church as well as residents of Ashaley Botwe and its environs.
She said that was because they were expecting to screen 500 people but would do more considering the number of people coming in.
“And I must say that as a church, we’ve actually invested a lot in making this possible. We believe that it’s our responsibility to give to humanity. Jesus valued people above everything else. So we also value people above everything else,” she added.
Pastor Grace commended stakeholders of the church who helped in the organisation of the screening exercise and used the opportunity to advise Ghanaians to be kind to one another, as people mattered.
“If God did not withhold his own son from us, then people are the most important things in life. So sharing the goodness of the gospel with people is important. Also helping them when they are in need is very important,” she added.