The Roberta Okyere Darko (ROD) Foundation, a non- governmental organization, supporting the aged and widows in society, has organized its fortnightly medical outreach programme for over 300 people.

The exercise which was organized in collaboration with the Consolidated African Aged Foundation (CAAF), aimed at providing free medical care for residents of Tema Golf City and its environs, in the Kpone Katamanso Constituency.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema, Ms Roberta Okyere Darko, the Founder of the ROD Foundation, said the welfare of the aged and widows should be of paramount concern to all and sundry.

She described them as vulnerable who had no hope in society, adding that “our mission is to put smiles on their faces”

She said as part of the Foundation’s activities, they meet with the aged and widows every two weeks, to discuss their health and welfare, which include a free health screening exercise, health talks, as well as free medication.

Ms Okyere Darko noted that the screening exercise was opened to the entire community, as compared to the previous exercises which registered only the aged and widows in society.

The Founder disclosed that her Foundation would on December 26, organize a get-together for the aged and widows, to celebrate with them, to round off activities of the year.

Ms Okyere Darko said one of the Foundation’s major challenges had been funding, and therefore appealed to benevolent organizations, public-spirited individuals, and churches, to support its activities.

She further appealed to pharmaceutical companies to supply the Foundation with drugs to help the aged and widows.

“We humbly appeal to the public to donate foods, cloths or assist in any form via 0244647463 or 0576061517”, she added.

Mr Marcus Matthew, Founder of CAAF, said his Foundation also catered for the aged, specifically in areas of free food distribution and free health screening.

Mr Matthew who is a natural therapist and a member of the medical team, said issues relating to health were among every community’s major challenges, and so there was the need for people to periodically check their health status, especially those who could not afford the cost involved.

He said beneficiaries of the exercise were taken through eye screening test, blood pressure checking, and were also screened on kidney, brain, lungs and heart tests, using the quantum analyzer machine.

Mr Matthew explained that the comprehensive screening machines screened through the kidney, lungs, heart, liver, cardiovascular functions, and the general body system, including the cells, organs and tissues.

Some people, he said were, however, detected to have had cholesterol problems and problems with their prostate areas.

He said the aged and widows were educated on the importance of living healthy, while those with severe cases were referred to the hospital for further treatment.

He advised the public to be much concerned about their health, particularly with what they consumed, and their relations with people, because some sicknesses could be psychologically stimulated.

The Founder of CAAF, said there was the need to desist from the act of stigmatizing the aged as witches and wizards, adding that “the aged are being stigmatized in most cases, especially in Africa, including Ghana.”

Mr Matthew urged all to kick against the culture of stigmatization, saying: “In Western countries the aged were well taken care of; they had a welfare policies, but in Africa, such policies does not exist, and so, it was time the society accept the aged as a group of people who had a role to play, so far as development was concerned.”