Accra, Oct 14, GNA – The 2016 Rotary Family Health Days (RFHD) programme is to be held from 20th October to 22nd October, on the theme: “Healthy Families, Healthy Communities”.
The event would be preceded by a National Launch, on Tuesday, 18th October and a Regional launch at Ho on the 19th October.
The programme’s target this year is to reach 50,000 in 50 underserved communities in six regions, including Hohoe (Volta), Kumasi (Ashanti), and Sekondi/Takoradi (Western).
The RFHD was initiated by Rotarians for Family Health and AIDS prevention (RFHA) to provide comprehensive, free healthcare services to families lacking access to routine care.
The programme started in 2011 in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.
Ghana joined the other countries in hosting its first RFHD event in 2014 during which more than 23,000 health seekers benefitted.
RFHD mobilises resources and expertise from a broad spectrum of partners, including governments, community-based organisations and private sector companies.
Rotary clubs mobilise community participation and manages health sites.
Recent studies in Ghana, however, have shown a persistent increase in the rise of Diabetes and hypertension among both adults and children due mainly to rapid urbanisation and poor lifestyle choices.
The incidence of Tuberculosis is also increasing and has been found to be due to, among other risk factors, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, poverty and overcrowding.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is doing its best to contain the situation and needs all the support it can get in terms of funds, supplies and volunteer hours.
It is in response to this need that Rotary started this partnership dubbed “Rotary Family Health Days” (RFHD), as an annual three-day free health outreach programme designed to benefit women, men and children in selected deprived areas.
In 2014, more 23,000 health seekers were served in 30 communities out of a target of 30,000 people in the Accra-Tema Metropolitan areas alone.
In 2015, the programme was expanded to include three additional regions (Volta, Eastern and Central), with a target of 40,000 health seekers, out of which 37,000 were served in 40 communities within the Accra-Tema Metropolitan areas, Ho, Koforidua, Winneba, Apam, and Agona Swedru.
Major sponsors in 2014 were Coca Cola Foundation, the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Rotary Foundation, the Ghana Health Service, and Rotary Clubs in Ghana.
Once again, for the 2016 campaign, major sponsors are the Rotary Foundation, USAID, Rotary Clubs in Ghana and Zones 33 and 34 in the United States.
The programme, which thrives on authorisation and direction from in-country governments, has received endorsement from the Ministry of Health as an annual event.
Key services to be offered are Blood Pressure, Diabetes and Tuberculosis Screening.
Other services include HIV Testing and Counseling, Childhood Immunisations and Vitamin A supplementation, Eye screening, De-worming and distribution of Mosquito bed nets and Condoms.
Health workers of the GHS would provide the technical services, with support from Rotarians from some 36 clubs.
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.
Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.
Since 1985, Rotary International has been at the forefront of polio eradication worldwide, and in Ghana Rotarians have collaborated with the GHS by providing volunteers, polio vaccines and other inputs for the national polio immunisation days (NIDs), such that for the past two years, no child has been diagnosed with the polio virus.