Saltpond (C/R), May 8, GNA - More than 1,000 patients in Saltpond and its environs on Saturday received free medical treatment provided by Affiliated Schools Medical Outreach Programme.

The 125 volunteers who are past students of all secondary schools in Cape Coast, Mfantseman Girls and St. Monica Secondary School at Asante Mampong final year students of the Medical Schools in Accra and Kumasi and student of the Nursing Training Colleges at Cape Coast and Accra participated in the programme, the third since the group was formed in 2002 and the first to be held outside Cape Coast.

Briefing Ghana News Agency at the Saltpond Catholic School park where they gave the treatment, Mr Kwame Sakyi, President of the Adisadel Old Students Association and the leader of the team said the idea was mooted by past students of Adisadel to reach outside the walls of the school. He said the idea was to be service to chop barkeepers and kenkey sellers by the streets, who also contributed to their education and had to benefit from the services they rendered to them while in school.

Mr Sakyi, who is a business consultant, said they decided to rope in other schools in Cape Coast since their students also benefited from the some services provided by the society. Professor Tagoe, President of the St. Augustine College Old Students Association supported the idea, which was embraced by the past students of other schools including the Mfantseman Girls Secondary School at Saltpond.

He said St. Monica Girls School at Asante Mampong, which was for away from Cape Coast also embraced the idea and joined them. Mr Sakyi said they later decided to rope in the final year students of the two medical schools in Accra and Kumasi and students of the Nursing Training Colleges in Accra and Cape Coast. He said members made voluntary contributions to buy drugs to complement donations they got from pharmaceutical companies and some individuals.

Mr Sakyi said the group budgeted 65 million cedis for the Saltpond exercise, which included accommodation, food and drugs. He said over 2000 patients were treated at Cape Coast last year, adding that, because of financial and logistics constraints they organise the programme once in a year.

The District Chief Executive for Mfantseman, Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur and the Presiding Member, Mr Anthony Agyei Kusi visited the volunteers and commended them for their sense of patriotism. Mr Quainoo-Arthur said the time had come for the educated to pay back what went into their education, adding that, "the little that we do will make the service providers appreciate that their services to us at that time has been acknowledged and rewarded".