About 1,023 people at New Gbawe and its environs in the Weija Gbawe Municipality of the Greater Accra Region benefitted from a health fair organised by the Action City Chapel over the weekend.
The fair which was collaboration between the Chapel and the Assembly Member of the Electoral Area, Andrew Oppong Amoako, afforded people the opportunity to have free eye, breast and dental screening as well as register or renew their National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards.
Head Pastor, Action City Chapel, Rev. Daniel Anani, noted that the health fair was held to dispel the misconception that churches only provided spiritual guidance to their members.
"It is assumed that we Christians only concentrate on the spiritual aspect of our members, however that is not the situation at all. This is part of the church's corporate social responsibility to ensure that people are physically taken care of," he added.
On his part, Mr Amoako said the fair was to enable people to know their health status and have officials of NHIS at their door step to register or renew their NHIS cards.
He also hinted that officials of the National Identification Authority (NIA) would in the coming week be available in the various communities of the municipality to issue the Ghana Cards to those who had registered.
"After visiting Weija, the NIA officials shall come to New Gbawe at the Methodist Church, CP last stop. Therefore, those who registered at Presby Junction, Good Shepherd, Divine Academy and other places should come for their cards," he added.
Mr Amoako said he took the initiative together with NIA to help enfranchise the constituents, adding that "when my outfit met with the NIA officials, we realised that Weija Gbawe has over 3,000 uncollected cards. Therefore, this week, they shall come to the constituency to distribute them."
He said the assembly realised that the cost of transportation for the electorates was a major issue for the non-collection of the cards.
Mr Amoako pointed out that officials of the NIA would not be registering people for new cards, and advised persons who had not yet registered, to visit the NIA office to do so.
