FREE MEDICAL SCREENING FOR CR RESIDENTS (PAGE 28)

THE Central Region has benefited from a free medical screening exercise carried out by the Revenue Agencies in collaboration with the German Technical Co-operation and GCNet.
The team has so far offered screening in Assin Fosu, Dunkwa-on-Offin, Cape Coast and Agona Swedru where about 1,500 people were tested for high blood pressure, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
Briefing the Daily Graphic during the exercise in Cape Coast, the Chairman of the Revenue Agencies Health Care team and the Internal Revenue Service focal person, Mr Godwin Monyo, said the exercise was part of the social responsibility of the revenue agencies for taxpayers.
The exerise, he said, was aimed at promoting health among staff of the agencies and the communities.
Mr Monyo said its other objectives were to reduce the HIV/AIDS infection rate in the country as well as minimising stigmatisation of people infected with the virus.
He said it was also meant to create awareness in the workers in particular and the people in general that HIV/AIDS is a manageable chronic disease and not a killer disease as previously thought of.
He said the exercise would help reduce medical cost and the excessive excuse duty at the various work places and thereby increase productivity.
He said so far the team had visited nine regions with the exception of Aconite, which would be covered by June, this year.