The Ghana Youth Employment Entrepreneur Development Agency (GYEEDA) is rolling out a new module, Alive Health Check, designed to improve access to quality healthcare service in Ghana and create jobs for the youth. The programme will be implemented by Alive Pharmaceuticals Limited, an Accra-based manufacturing and health training company, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Alive Health Check, according to organizers, will focus on preventive healthcare as a measure to reduce the huge health bills incurred by citizens and the nation. A statement issued in Accra explained that, “prevention remains the best and most important form of healthcare in recent times. Preventive health care will not only reduce the incidence of disease but also minimize the pressure on our limited health facilities.” “Alive Health Check is therefore championing a ‘Prevention is better than Cure’ health campaign in fulfillment of Government’s pledge to promote free quality health care in the country. It also in support the adopted strategies of the Ministry of Health to enable Ghana attain her Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015,” the statement added. Under this module, selected beneficiaries will be trained and resourced to provide health education and screening services in their local communities. GYEEDA, formerly the National Youth Employment Programme, will select the beneficiaries who will be trained by Alive Pharmaceuticals Limited with resource persons drawn from the Regenerative Health and Nutrition Unit of the Ministry of Health. The training will cover critical areas such as how to check vital signs, nutrition, disease prevention, good healthcare practices and others. The beneficiaries will be given certificates at the end of their training. After the training, beneficiaries will be stationed at various Pharmacy Shops, schools, and other public places such as market squares and community centres where they can offer free health checks to the public. Others will conduct house-to-house health tests for residents. They will be given basic health equipment such as weighing scales, microtoise (a scale with a height measure), BP apparatus, Glucometers and test strips free of charge to undertake their health checks exercises. The beneficiaries will also be given health education materials such as brochures, pamphlets and flyers developed and published by the Ministry of Health to educate the public on the adoption of healthy lifestyles. Apart from testing for basic health problems, beneficiaries of the Alive Health Check module will also embark on health education programmes that will help local residents and communities adopt healthy lifestyles. The health education will cover areas such as the need for regular exercise, a healthy diet, sufficient sleep, the avoidance of tobacco and moderate alcohol and salt intake. Beneficiaries will embark on activities such as one on one consultation, community education seminars and house-to-house interactions to teach Ghanaians to make the right choices when it comes to their health. The goal is to ensure that Ghanaians are healthy and productive enough to create the wealth that will move the nation out of poverty. In addition to fostering a healthy society, the module aims at creating decent jobs for the youth in the health sector. It targets the youth with formal educations. Alive Health Check intends to take on 10,000 unemployed youth during each tenure of engagement, which lasts two years. The module is being piloted in the Greater Accra Region and will subsequently be rolled out nationwide over the course of the year.