Sunyani (B/A), Aug 1, GNA- Dr. Jones Takyi, Vice Chairman of the Brong Ahafo branch of the Ghana Red Society has called on corporate bodies and individuals in the region to assist it financially to enable the Society to carry out its activities. He said the Society was cash strapped as the Swiss Red Cross, which funded its activities, ended its 10-year sponsorship programme in December last year. Dr. Takyi, who is head of the psychiatric department of the regional hospital in Sunyani, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the pullout of the Swiss had affected the Society's operations. He explained that the 600 volunteers of the Society were finding it difficult to complete outreach programmes for lack of funds. "With the pullout a way must be found to sustain the interest of the volunteers for community programmes in future", the vice chairman added.

Dr. Takyi stressed that the activities of the Society "have gone beyond football fields" as it was supporting outreach programmes on guinea worm eradication, provision of primary eye care, blood donation, first aid training and youth camps. He said with the assistance of the voluntary organisation, Brong Ahafo could boast of one of the best eye care services, adding, people from neighbouring countries were assessing the facility at its optical centres in 12 districts of the region. The Vice-Chairman said more than 1000 people had benefited from the eye care centre in Sunyani, since it was commissioned in 2004. Mr. Solomon Ganyoni, Regional Secretary of the Society, said the region was not yet free from the guinea worm disease and that areas including Kintampo and Jaman districts "were still guinea worm endemic areas". He said even though those areas continued to report cases of the disease, a remarkable achievement has been made with the assistance of the district health management team.