.... as part of 2016 World Kidney Day Celebrations

Ampain Refugee Camp (WR), March 11, 2016 - The Firm Health Ghana Foundation, a non-governmental pro-health organisation, has organised a free kidney screening for more than 800 Ivorian refugees at the Ampain Refugee Camp in the Ellembelle District to mark the World Kidney Day.

The exercise also offered the refugees the opportunity to check their blood pressure and sugar levels are receive medications, where necessary. Those suffering from malaria, waist pains and mild health problems were also treated.
The Director of Medical Services for the NGO, Dr. Joseph Darko, who also works at the Old Tarkwa Government Hospital, said the day was set aside to create awareness about kidney diseases to ensure early detection and prevention of defects.
He said those who would prove positive for kidney infection after the screening would be advised to seek further medical treatment. The theme for this year’s celebration is, Kidney Disease and Children: Act early to prevent it.
It focuses on kidney dysfunction in children and those born with kidney abnormality.
The Day is observed on the second Thursday in March.
Dr. Darko observed that diabetics and hypertensive patients were prone to kidney failure; as well as cigarette smokers, excessive alcohol consumers, those with sedentary lifestyles or exercised irregularly.
He, therefore, advised those with such negative lifestyles to refrain from it in order to promote healthy living.
He explained that it was difficult to detect kidney infections early; however, common symptoms such as nausea, the passage of scanty urine, as well as swollen face and legs were clear indications that someone had kidney infections.
He said the kidney was a vital organ that removed waste substances from the body and its dysfunction would be detrimental to the proper functioning of the entire body.
Therefore, kidney failure would require the person to undergo dialysis treatment twice every week which is very expensive to treat.
A senior nurse at the Ampain Health Centre, Mr. Silvanus Annor, said the Centre was established in 2011 during the Ivorian Crisis as an emergency facility, which offered health services to the displaced Ivorian refugees.
He said initially, it recorded a lot of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), malaria, upper respiratory tract infections, worm infestations, eye infections and some communicable diseases.
However, with the support of the Government through the Ghana Health Service and United Nations High Commission for Refugees, it had managed to control those ailments.
He said the Health Service had made available Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits for diagnosing malaria at the Camp and continued offering primary healthcare to the refugees; as well as Ghanaians in surrounding communities.
The serious cases, however, were referred to the Eikwe Government Hospital, the district hospital.
Mr. Annor announced that the Centre would soon be registered to accept holders of the National Health Insurance cards and gave the assurance that there were sufficient medicines to cater for the health needs of patrons of the facility.
He applauded the NGO for the intervention and asked other philanthropist organisations to emulate the gesture and screen the refugees for hernia because some cases had been recorded at the Camp.
The Foundation was established in 2012 in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, in the Western Region, with a vision to build the first dialysis centre in the Region to support people with kidney malfunction.
It also organises monthly health walks and free community-to-community kidney screening exercises on regular basis for residents.