Over 150 cocoa farmers at Wawasua and the surrounding communities in the Sunyani East Municipality of the Bono Region have undergone health screening as part of the celebration of Valentine's Day, christened Chocolate Day in Ghana.

The day, climaxing the celebration of the National Chocolate Week, afforded the farmers the chance to be freely screened to know their health conditions in a collaborative exercise between Cocobod and the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) hospital in Sunyani.

The Administrator of Cocoabod in the region, Michael P.K. Asumanu, explained that the exercise is aimed at identifying diseases that affect cocoa farmers in cocoa-growing areas.

“We want to also drum home the need for everybody to consume cocoa products considering the enormous health benefits”, he said, and added that such a move ultimately benefits the farmer more.

Most of these farmers hardly visit the hospital to know their health conditions, mostly hidden, let alone seek treatment, a situation that affects their work as key stakeholders in the cocoa economy, hence the need to bring healthcare to their doorsteps.

They were screened for high blood pressure, sugar levels and body weight. There was also eye screening, all in a bid to ensure that their health conditions that are usually hidden do not escalate and put them at greater risk.

A nutritionist at the SDA hospital, Kwame Adu Twum, said beyond prescribing medications for the farmers, they also refer people whose cases warrant further attention to the hospital for further assessment and treatment.

"The good thing is, I am seeing elderly farmers above 40 years taking part in the screening, unlike the youth who are also entering the hypertensive and diabetic bracket."

Mr Twum advised the people to see regular screening as an important way of safeguarding their health.

"I advise them to go for regular checkups, especially blood pressure which is free at the healthcare centres, to improve their health".

The Cocobod Administrator, Mr Asumanu, revealed that they are in the process of fine-tuning the provision of medications for the farmers in future screening plans, as was done during last year’s exercise in Kumasi.

“The government has recently launched the cocoa farmer’s pension scheme as part of efforts to comprehensively care for cocoa farmers beyond producing cocoa”, he noted.

He said they would explore means to provide medications for a farmer identified as a diabetic patient.

A 59-year-old cocoa farmer at Korasua No1, Kwabena Nyarko, lamented the challenge of financing the prescribed drugs for his eyesight difficulties.

“If I don’t get a loan from anywhere, I can’t buy the drugs since I can’t afford it”, he said.

He appealed to the government to provide drugs for them in future screenings to mitigate the sufferings of the farmers.

“Without us being in good health, we can’t continue to produce the raw cocoa beans”, he stressed.

The Bono Regional Cocobod Extension Officer, Stephen Antwi Asamoah, recounted the worrying sentiments of some farmers over their inability to afford the outcome of their work, such as chocolate.

“Now that we can’t provide them chocolates, we are serving them with cocoa drinks with the hope of liaising with management to at least get the farmers chocolates on Valentine's Day”, he said.

The climax of the Chocolate Week celebration also saw the exhibition of cocoa products, the outdooring of a cocoa shop to sell cocoa products any day at the cocoa house, and a quiz competition among some senior high schools in Sunyani.