MINING COMPANY, NGO PROVIDE FREE MEDICAL CLINICS (PAGE 20)

GOLDEN Star Resources (GSR), a mining company, in collaboration with Project Cure, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) has organised free medical clinics for people in 11 communities in the operational areas of its two subsidiary companies in the Western Region.
The subsidiary companies are the Golden Star (Wassa Mines) Limited at Akyempim and Golden Star (Bogoso/Prestea Mines) at Bogoso.
A total of 9,280 people, including schoolchildren and infants from Subri, Togbekrom, Ningo, Akyempim, Kubekro, Old Subri, Mbease Nsuta, Bondaye, Heman and Dumase benefited from the clinics, which were held for two weeks.
A medical team comprising 10 doctors from Project Cure in the United States of America who undertook the clinics, screened and conducted medical examinations on those who attended the clinics after which they were given free drugs.
Some of the diseases diagnosed were skin rashes, bodily pains, upper respiratory tract infections, malaria, eye problems and itching.
Those who attended were given drugs such as dewormers, multivite, antibiotics, anti-histamines, cough syrups, analgesics for pains and wound dressing packs.
The leader of the medical team, Dr Maurice Ankrah told the Daily Graphic during the last of the clinics at Togbekrom, located in the Wassa Mines that almost everybody, both old and young, complained of bodily pains, noting that "this may be due to the type of work they do, which is farming".
He said many people in the area, especially Old Subri, a farming community, also complained of eye problems and were advised to contact eye specialists at the hospitals.
Dr Ankrah suggested that the mining company should build a standard health facility for the communities within its operational areas to cater for their health needs, since the communities were far from the hospitals and other health facilities.
"Since the mining company is benefiting from the communities, they must also benefit from the mines," he said.
According to Dr Ankrah, the clinics would go a long way to improve the quality of life of the people in the beneficiary communities.
He explained that the viability and sustainability of the clinics, which were organised annually, would depend on the host mining company.
"We are willing to offer the services, if the host company will co-operate. What we need is a host which is co-operative," he stressed, adding that the project had targeted deprived communities.
The General Manager of Golden Star (Wassa Mines), Mr Richard Gray, commended the people who contributed to the success of the clinics, especially Project Cure and the medical team from the United States of America.
A representative of the Denver Office of Project Cure, Ms Judith Schwartz, explained that the project was instituted to support hospitals and clinics without adequate medical supplies and equipment.
She said the project collected medical supplies and equipment from 120 companies across the world and supplied them to needy hospitals and clinics.
The Human Resource and Administrative Manager of Golden Star (Wassa Mines) Limited, Mr Paul Essah, said it was the responsibility of the mining company to provide some facilities such as schools, potable water, electricity and roads for the communities within its operational areas.
He said the company would continue to support the organisation of the clinics annually to ensure that the people in the mining communities had good health and to enable them to increase productivity.