Cuban Doctors who are members of the Cuba Medical Brigade (CMB) working in various hospitals in Ghana have supported a free medical screening exercise organised by the High Commissioner of Sierra Leone in Accra, Her Excellency Francess Virginia Anderson, in partnership with a colleague Head of Mission and the Winners Chapel International, Santa Maria branch, Accra.
Twenty Cuban Doctors working at the Greater Accra (Ridge), Cape Coast, Ho, Sunyani and Tamale Regional Hospitals and the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital, Koforidua, participated in the exercise at the Santa Maria branch of Winners Chapel International on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
Some beneficiaries waiting to be attended to by the Cuban Doctors
The screening of over 200 people including the aged, women and children was aimed at ameliorating basic health problems of members of the Winners Chapel and people of the Santa Maria Community.
The beneficiaries were screened for various ailments including breast cancer, hypertension, worm infestation, malaria, and diabetes. Medications were freely distributed to people diagnosed with various diseases by the Cuban medical team while others were advised for referral.
The head of the Cuban Medical Brigade (CMB) in Ghana, Dr. Mercedes Suárez Orama told Newswatchgh.com that she was happy Cuban Doctors were supporting the initiative of the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to medically screen vulnerable Ghanaians.
The members of the CMB who are Medical Physicians and Oncologists, Anesthesiologists, General and Orthopedic Surgeons, Pediatricians and Neurologists, expressed their commitment to keep the name of Cuba in a place of honour in their various works in Ghana.
Cuban Doctors and Heads of Missions after the screening exercise
At various consultation points, the Cuban Doctors advised beneficiaries of the screening to engage in healthy lifestyles to improve their general well- being and avoid indulging in acts that had the tendency of jeopardising their health.
Speaking to Newswatchgh.com on behalf of the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner, an Information Attache at the High Commission, Princetta Christiana Williams, said the free screening was part of the humanitarian gestures of Her Excellency Virginia Anderson, who believes in helping the poor, needy and vulnerable in society.
She said the medical exercise was aimed at providing free medical screening and healthcare services for people who needed quality health care.
A baby undergoing screening
According to her, the target group was not limited to only women and children but men as well and lauded the participation and patronage of the communities in the screening exercise.
Present to support in the exercise and to solidarise with their colleague head of Mission were the Mexican Ambassador in Ghana also designated to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Enrique Escorza and Peruvian Ambassador, His Excellency Abel Antonio Cardenas Tuppia. They were spotted helping women and children to be attended to by the Cuban Doctors.
In an interview with Newswatchgh.com, Ambassador Cardenas Tuppia, praised the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner for her initiative and love for the vulnerable in society, adding “We came to support and to solidarise with our colleague Ambassador.”
Heads of Missions at the health Screening
On his part, the Mexican Ambassador Escorza expressed extreme ecstasy of the medical screening and commended the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner for the free screening and the Cuban Doctors for offering their services through the efforts of the Cuban Mission in Ghana.
In an interview with Newswatchgh.com, the Head Pastor of Winners Chapel International, Santa Maria branch, Pastor Desmond Yarjah said the screening was a love to humanity, which should be championed to alleviate the health sufferings of the vulnerable.
Pastor Desmond Yarjah with Her Excellency Francess Virginia Anderson
He explained that the exercise afforded the Santa Maria community the opportunity to easily access medical health and thanked High Commissioner Virginia Anderson, whom he said was a spiritual daughter, for promoting the initiative as well as getting her Heads of other Missions to support the screening exercise.
The exercise, which begun at 10:00am ended in the afternoon with many of the beneficiaries commending the organisers for bring smiles and hope into their faces since going for regular medical check-ups have become very expensive.
Meanwhile, one of the Cuban Doctors, Daniel Martinez, coincidently marked his 33rd birthday on the day of the screening exercise on November 13, an occasion, he described as awesome, because on his birthday, he was helping people with free screening and medication.
He told Newswatchgh.com that as a Medical Oncologist, he found it appropriate to celebrate his birthday with the vulnerable since cases of breast cancer was high in Ghana and Africa in general.
Dr. Daniel Martinez screening a beneficiary
Currently working at the Cape Coast Regional Hospital, he lamented that there had been many reported cases of breast cancer and was happy to have been working there to help alleviate the plight of women suffering from breast cancer.
