The Danfa Health Centre, a public medical clinic in Accra, has organised a community durbar with a call on Ghanaians to regularly go for medical checkups to know their health status.

Mrs Priscilla Anima Siaw, the Municipal Health Director for La Nkwatanang-Madina Municipality, who gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said health was paramount and that people should not wait to fall sick before seeking medical attention.

She said bad eating habits and lifestyles cause various sicknesses, and that, going for health check-ups would allow for the early detection of any ailment.

Mrs Siaw admonished Ghanaians to live healthy lifestyles to contribute their quota to national development.

The Community Durbar on the theme: “Improving Quality Care in the Community- Our Mandate” was to afford the public and the hospital staff the opportunity to interact to improve quality health care delivery to the constituents.

The Danfa Health Centre takes care of a community of more than 11,000 people in the La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.

The Health Centre is also accessed by adjoining communities such as Otinibi, Adoteiman, New Adoteiman, Kweiman, Ayi Mensah and Ghana Flag.

Mrs Siaw said government was committed to working to improve health delivery in the country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on health by 2030.

Mrs Aseye Apetsi, the Senior Physician Assistant in-charge of Danfa Health Centre said the clinic which is a referral centre, handled various cases including; malaria, gastroenteritis upper respiratory tract infection, simple anaemia, normal deliveries and conjunctivitis.

The emergency cases the clinic referred, she said, were bleeding in pregnancy, eclampsia, prolonged labour, unconsciousness, premature rupture of membranes and cerebrovascular accident.

Ms Mary Asare, a Community Member who spoke to the GNA said the absence of an ambulance at the health centre was hindering effective emergency health care delivery.

The situation, she said was worrisome and sometimes compounded the patient’s complications since they were transported in commercial and private vehicles to hospitals.