Residents of Deduako in the Oforikrom municipality of the Ashanti region and their pets have benefitted from a health outreach by the KNUST Health Sciences Students Association (HESA-KNUST).

The exercise which is part of the association’s fifth anniversary brought students from various departments together to provide free health care services.

Students from Ghana Association of Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Medical laboratory medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, Veterinary departments were featured in this outreach.

Others are Ghana Pharmaceutical Students Association, Ghana Association of Diagnostic Medical Imaging, Ghana Herbal Medicine Student Association and Physician Assistant Student Association of Ghana.

It was under the theme: “One health, one medicine”.

Beneficiaries were screened of various conditions whiles their pets, in collaboration with the Animal Welfare League, were vaccinated against rabies.

Placards bearing pieces of one health advice were also on display.

The one health initiative is to ensure the health of the human beings, animals and the environment.

“As part of our social responsibility, we decided to champion this one health outreach where every department plays a role,” said President of HESA-KNUST, Kwame Adu Okyere Boadu.

Charles Lwanga Tengan is also a research assistant with the global health and infectious diseases at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR).

“Pandemics and a lot of recent happenings have taught us that we can never live in isolation as human beings. Obviously, the health of animals has consequences on us as human beings.

“Our environment whether clean or not, whether healthy or not equally has consequences on our health as human beings. So, like we would say no one is safe until everyone is safe,” he said.

A student from physiotherapy and sport science department Emmanuel Ackom was concerned about the incidence of back pain especially among the aged.

He therefore advised them to engage in exercise.

“Most of the old people complained of back pain.  As a physio I realized that most of them fail to engage in exercise which is causing the constriction of the muscles and blood pressure.

“And for treatment, I advised them to engage in exercises like ampe, wall pushing and squats. This can help them release the pain and the restriction of blood vessels so that the blood can flow well,” he said.

Organiser of the event, Anastacious Hanson hinted of the extension of the exercise to other communities.

“After this outreach, we intend to go other communities including the Kumasi township,” he said.

A beneficiary of the exercise, Yaa Drowaa who had a problem with her waist received a massage.

“I complained about my waist and they massaged and asked me to do a lot of exercise.  I was also advised to play ampe or push the wall when I wake up every morning,” she said.