Newmont Ghana provides free medical care to Ahafo community members

Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo Mine in collaboration with project C.U.R.E, a US based medical charity organization, has provided free medical care and counseling for over 1,200 community members within the mine’s catchment areas in Ahafo.

Beneficiaries of the week long exercise were screened and given treatment for various ailments ranging from gynecological, eye, dental, blood related diseases and other general conditions.

An 11-member project C.U.R.E team from Denver, Colorado comprising a doctor, a paramedic, nurses and non-medical staff made the trip to Ghana to undertake the exercise in collaboration with the Community Development Unit of the Ahafo mine. Patients treated ranged from infants, school children to a 110 year old woman.

The trip was a follow-up to an earlier collaborative effort between Newmont Ghana and Project C.U.R.E last year, through which medical equipment and supplies worth about $2million were donated to six health facilities in the Asutifi and Tano North districts of the Brong Ahafo Region. The beneficiary health facilities were Acherensua Health Center, Gyedu Health Center, Kenyasi Health Center, St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital, Tanoso Health Center, and Yamfo Health Center.

Newmont Mining Corporation has partnered Project C.U.R.E. to provide similar support to facilities in some of the company’s operations in other parts of the world. This particular donation marked the third time the company had facilitated this gesture in its Ahafo and Akyem operational areas.

Director of Philanthropic Travel and Clinics at Project C.U.R.E, Corinne Domahidy, conducted a follow-up assessment at the Tanoso and Yamfo health clinics to verify the viability of medical supplies and equipment provided to the hospitals last year and how they are enhancing health care in these hospitals.

The Physician assistant in charge of the Tanoso health Centre, Kwadwo Asanti-Afari revealed that through the support of Newmont and project C.U.R.E, the clinic has been expanded and now sees over 2,500 patients every month, a significant improvement from its previous record of 1800 patients per month.

According to the Communications Manager of the Ahafo Mine, Agbeko Kwame Azumah, the partnership is part of Newmont’s commitment to bringing sustainable development and in demonstration of its Health and safety values to employees and community members.

“We are pleased with the improvement in health care these efforts are bringing to our people. We will continue to leverage such partnerships for the benefit of our communities,” he added.