Accra, July 31, GNA - The La General Hospital in collaboration with local and international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) is developing a database on the health status and other development processes of children in La in Accra. The NGOs, Glona Charity, Ghana and Volunteers in Action (VIA), the United Kingdom (UK) are spearheading the project dubbed; "Health Check", which offers the platform for the children to undergo a routine general health assessment including their psychological development.

Ms Harmien Dam, Director of VIA, said the data would serve as a source of reliable information for the Hospital's research and diagnostic activities as well as for parents to effectively and constantly monitor their children's health needs. She said this when the two NGOs together with the Hospital organized the health check last Saturday to screen, educate and fete more than 450 children from La. The children were taken through a process of registration, diagnosis and treatment, where necessary; de-worming; rudiments of personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness.

Ms Dam said a maiden exercise carried out last year in La revealed that many of the children had problems with their eyes and psychological development and were malnourished. "Analysis of that exercise, which screened about 200 children here in La showed that many parents lacked information about their children's health records, they are, therefore, not in the position to provide proper care. "Some of them, we noticed are malnourished because their ages did not match with their physical development; some had eye problems and needed medicated eye-glasses and others were with open wounds that were not properly treated," she said.

Mr William Anang, Executive Director, Glona Charity, said the organization which began in 1997 as community-based one primarily aimed at reaching out to the less privileged in deprived communities.