The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has organized a two day free medical screening for 300 Head Porters popularly referred to as ‘Kayayei’ on the premises of its Head Office at the Old Parliament House in Accra. This maiden event is in commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of CHRAJ.
CHRAJ, which is the National Human Rights Institution, Ombudsman, Anti-Corruption Agency and Ethics Office of Ghana designed the outreach programme to enable it provide medical support to some of the most vulnerable group of people within the society.
The free medical screening was organized in collaboration with the Nyaho Medical Centre, Ghana’s leading multispecialty medical centre committed to excellent clinical practice and specialist healthcare delivery grounded in innovation, empathy and a culture of trust.
The participating head porters who were drawn from the Accra Business Center and its environs were taken through general health screening to check Blood Pressure levels, Sugar levels, Body Mass Index, among others. Participants requiring extensive medical checks were given referrals for further consultations and treatments.
The dental health screening team from Unilever Ghana Limited also provided oral health consultations, cleaning of teeth and tooth extractions in support of the event.
Commissioner of CHRAJ, Joseph Whittal in his interaction with the media explained the rationale behind the event, reiterating the plight of the head porters and the challenges they faced in meeting their daily needs.
He was optimistic that the exercise would draw the attention of the State and Development Partners to the issues facing head porters in the country to enable them find a permanent solution to address their deplorable working conditions which could not be seen as normal.
As part of the event, there was a public education forum by CHRAJ which sensitized the head porters on their rights, responsibilities and freedoms. They were encouraged to report cases of abuse including rape to the Commission for assistance and legal advice.
