Let’s Protect The Elderly From Harm And Witchcraft Accusation – Dr. Nadia Adongo | Crime

The Ntuune Pogyua Foundation, established by Dr. Nadia Adongo Fynn has paid the premium for some 500 elderly persons in Gambibgo, to get covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme in the Bolgatanga East District in the Upper East Region.

The organization also funded a medical outreach and health screening for these elderly persons, as well as some young women who require medical attention to end some medical conditions.

The focus of the Ntuune Pogyua Foundation Christmas medical outreach was to raise awareness on early warning signs of dementia and how to detect the beginning of other life-threatening diseases associated with the elderly, including diabetes and high blood pressure condition.

The founder of Ntuune Pogyua Foundation, Dr. Nadia Adongo Fynn, in an interview said the medical screening, awareness creation and payment of the NHIS premium for the beneficiaries is a way of demonstrating love and support during Christmas and also ousting some social notions and cultural practices that give undue room for some persons to accuse some elderly persons of being witches and wizards.

According to Dr. Adongo Fynn, the health screening did not focus just on identifying potential health threats but it also provided information on how to prevent the occurrence of aged-related diseases and introduce them to lifestyles that prolong their lives and keep them healthy.

“In 2018, when we launched this foundation in this district, I mean the Bolgatanga East District, our intention was clear; to organize basic healthcare outreach programmes and to create awareness on dementia among aged people, as well as throw more light on the early warning signs and some manifestation of persons living with dementia.

When we started, participants were just around 100, but now you can see that we are hitting over 500.”

Dr. Adongo Fynn hinted that in future, Ntuune Pogyua Foundation is contemplating the inclusion of persons who have never been registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme.

A beneficiary of the health screening, Ayampoka Abugre, was happy with the gesture from Dr. Adongo Fynn and the health practitioners, saying, she now knows how to manage her blood pressure. She praised the foundation for thinking about the elderly during the Christmas festivity.

Health Workers at the Gambibgo Health Center were happy to partner the Ntuune Pogyua Foundation to run the health screening for the elderly and called for support to help the facility to continue with its home visitation and community sensitization even after the Christmas festivities.

A medical officer at the Gambibgo health facility, John Yelko-Ang, noted that the facility is ready to collaborate with any charity or non-governmental organization to continue addressing the health needs of communities around the health facility.

Dr. Nadia Adongo Fynn commended all collaborators, including the New Patriotic Party’s Bolgatanga East Constituency Parliamentary Candidate, Mathew Silas Amoah, for making the dream a reality.

Mr. Mathew Silas Amoah in a brief remark at the health screening and Christmas feast, urged the public, especially people who are capable of helping others with their resources and knowledge sharing to help.

He added his voice to others who are fighting against the lynching of elderly people due to baseless witchcraft accusations, adding, “one day we will also be old and will need to be protected and cared for. Before that happens, let us show our elderly people love now and protect them from harm.

Mr. Amoah commended Dr. Adongo Fynn and the management of the Ntuure Pogyua Foundation for sustaining the Christmas medical screening and feast with the elderly and called for more support to enable the foundation to cover more communities with the medical outreach programme.