The youth arm of the Tema Supreme Lions Club held a free health screening exercise at Anyiranwase in the Ho West District of the Volta Region of Ghana on Saturday, the 28th of September, 2024.
The president of Tema Supreme Leo Club, Leo Priscilla Ofei-Mensah, said the exercise aimed to bring health relief and support to the people of the community with support from the Tema Supreme Lions Club. The club also donated some clothes, mosquito nets, and other medical supplies.
In her words, “September is for Childhood Cancer, and next month October is for diabetes per Lions International calendar, so we thought it wise to organize the health screening activity to screen, educate, and create awareness on the thematic areas whilst providing general health screening to the people of Anyirawase.”
The Mental Health Focal Person in the Ho West District, Cynthia Hodzi, educated members of the community who partook in the exercise on their mental health. According to her, some key indicators include changes in behaviour, attitude, and coping mechanisms. She said some of the common conditions include schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Diagnosis requires medical evaluation, focusing on personal behaviour rather than lab tests.
Judith Dzansi, who is also a Mental Health Professional in Ho West, added that self-care is important in preventing mental illness and that exercising, eating healthy foods, and recognizing personal warning signs are crucial for coping with stress and mental illnesses. According to her, by seeking help and engaging in activities, mental health conditions can be managed with the use of therapy or medication, and family support goes a long way in helping patients recover. She, however, called on the government and donors to make more free medications available as some individuals are not able to afford the medications.
According to Lion Roger, the Tema Supreme Lions Club Vice President, the initiative was a response to the call of one of their members who comes from Anyirawase to attend to the health needs of the aged in the community, and the Lions Club members were present to support their youth arm for the exercise.
The exercise, which was mainly sponsored by the Tema Supreme Lions Club with support from Prime Glass Limited and Jay Thezz Ventures, had some members of Koforidua U-Tech Leo Club and Ho Kekeli EPUC Leo Clubs present to support their counterparts from the Tema Club. Some health organizations from Titso and Anyirawase townships also partnered with the club as well as the mental health and ambulance services to make it a success, said Leo Priscilla Ofei-Mensah.
She also added that Lions are working to build a health post at Lume, which is also in the Ho West District of the Volta Region, for which reason they would be holding a dinner and fundraising for the project.
The Tema Supreme Lions Charter President- Lion Wisdom Awittor spoke about the Club and how to be part of it.
“The Lions Club International is an international association with headquarters in Chicago USA. We have over 2,300 Lions Clubs all over the world, about 1.4 million people in over 250 countries. What we do is to support our communities in humanitarian issues, and so in Ghana, we currently have 46 clubs with 1,320 members as of this morning. Lion Club’s membership is open to every able lion 30 years and above who wants to do something for his community. There’s no restriction; anybody can be a member of Lions Club, and so you can also become a member of Lions Club if you wish to. Somebody will have to invite you to any of the clubs; they’ll tell you what the club is about, what we do, what the dues are, and how we mobilize resources to support our communities, and you are good to go.” He said.
By Desmond Tinana
