Lions Club, Total screen commercial drivers

Accra Golden Lion’s Club in collaboration with Total Petroleum Ghana Limited (TPGL) has organised a free eye screening exercise for commercial drivers around the Haatso-Madina vicinity in Accra.

The exercise which had 150 drivers screened was part of the Club’s October eye and sight programme dubbed: “Sharing the vision.”

Kodua Edjekumhene, Chairman of the exercise, said the purpose for the exercise was to early detect sight problems with the drivers so they could be referred for subsequent check-up and treatment to prevent their situations from going bad.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the Club selected commercial drivers because their sight is the most important contributor to the effectiveness of their work, hence an important stakeholder to the TPGL.

He said the Club the drivers barely get time to go for screening at health centres due to the nature of their job.

“As part of road safety measures, drivers are supposed to have very sharp eye sight, therefore we hope to find solutions to the drivers who have sight problems to prevent development of worse eye problems,” he said.

Edjekumhene disclosed that the Club’s next plan of action is to create diabetes awareness among market women in the Nsawam vicinity in the Eastern Region, who also barely get time to check their health status.

Mrs Joyce Acquah, a taxi driver who participated in the exercise told the GNA in an interview that the exercise was very helpful to them because commercial drivers need to know the status of their eyes as it is an important tool when it comes to the nature of their work.

She urged the club to re-organise another screening exercise that would include other diseases such as malaria, blood pressure, hepatitis and HIV for drivers.

“Personally, I struggle to drive whenever I get to dusty areas because my eyes get irritated, but I have been advised to wear eyeglass while driving through this screening exercise and I think it is an important step that must be encouraged,” she said.

Mr Robert Afetsi, Station Master of Agboba-Atomic Junction, Ghana Private Road Transport Union station commended the Club for undertaking the exercise and urged other non- governmental bodies to emulate the example to help the needy in the country.