Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady, on Saturday organised a free health screening exercise for more than 500 residents of Cape Coast and surrounding communities.

The beneficiaries were screened for HIV, blood pressure, hypertension, blood sugar level, diabetes, eye disorders, Hepatitis B, and malaria among other diseases.

The exercise was conducted by a team comprising medical doctors, laboratory technicians, physician assistants, dentists and nurses drawn from the Ghana Health Service.

Dr. Azuma Abdul-Tawab, the Coordinator of the Rebecca Health Outreach Programme, under the Rebecca Foundation, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that community health screening programmes were important exercises to enhance the health status of the people.

The ultimate goal of the Rebecca Foundation, he said, was to provide safe and proper healthcare services to the aged, children and other vulnerable groups in the communities to improve on their health and bring joy to them.

The medical outreach initiative of the Foundation has covered more than 2,000 people in the Central, Eastern and Greater Accra Regions.

Dr. Abdul-Tawab advised the public to visit the hospital regularly for routine checkups, eat balanced diets, exercise, drink more water and have enough rest and avoid self-medication.

The beneficiaries were educated on good eating habits and dangers of drug abuse and self-medication by public health nurses.

They were also educated on HIV prevention, especially mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.

The nurses appealed to the public to go for voluntary HIV testing, which is free, to help them know their status and receive the needed care and support.

Madame Philomena Baidoo, a 64-year old trader, commended the Foundation for the gesture, saying it will improve the healthcare needs of people in the area.