Three hundred beneficiaries have been enrolled as the first batch of Alive Health Check officers after a three-day intensive training course in Accra. Alive Health Check is the latest health module to be introduced under the Ghana Youth Employment Entrepreneur Development Agency (GYEEDA) programme. The module seeks to promote preventive healthcare through regular health screening and education in a bid to reduce the burden on the country’s healthcare facilities. Officers were drawn from various districts within the Greater Accra Region. The Ministry of Health in collaboration with Alive Pharmacy organized the training exercise, which was implemented by the Alive Health Check Module. The officers were trained on how to test a patient’s blood pressure and blood sugar levels as well as to measure a person’s body mass index. They were also trained to counsel the public on how to adopt healthy lifestyles to prolong their lifespans. As part of their training assessment, the officers were dispatched to undertake various health check exercises within the Ministries area in Accra. National Coordinator of Alive Health Check Fred Frimpong said the module was designed to improve access to better healthcare and create employment for the youth. Mr Frimpong said the module would help reduce the rates of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular infections, which account for 30 per cent of all morbidities in Ghana’s hospitals. He said over 10,000 youth will be employed under the module in the next two years, adding that, “this will help to reduce the high rate of youth employment in the country.” He said the officers would be resourced with the needed equipment and stationed at vantage points within communities to offer their services to the public. Mr Frimpong charged the beneficiaries to maintain their equipment, refrain from selling it and avoid truancy to help sustain the initiative. Kofi Adusei, the Leader for Training who is also the Programme Manager at the Regenerative Health and Nutrition Department of the Ministry of Health, said the training aims to enable the officers to acquire the skills needed to perform basic health checks. He praised the officers’ performance after training, reporting that, “they are ready to go to the field to offer their services.” Mr Adusei used the occasion to appeal to Ghanaians to access the health check services in order to learn the status of their health and better protect it. Director in Charge of Administration at GYEEDA Honourable Roger Abolimbisa said that with the introduction of the module, he hopes more youth are absolved under the programme. He explained that government recognizes that a healthier population is critical to help Ghana achieve her Millennium Development Goals. He added that the module will help Ghanaians embrace preventive healthcare in order that they might further develop and strengthen the country’s human resource base. “The new module will therefore augment the provision of healthcare services by bringing healthcare to the doorsteps of every Ghanaian for free,” he declared.