Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has boosted its commitment to health through Corporate Social Responsibility by donating two sets of dialysis equipment with treatment chairs to the Renal Unit and generous presentation of a cheque of ₵200,000 to the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCC) at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).
The equipment, valued at $112,000 is expected to boost the stock of dialysis equipment at the department and support the unit to provide the much-needed care to patients.
Donation to Renal Unit at KBTH
Presenting the equipment, the Managing Director of GACL, Mrs Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, noted that the donation was in response to recent media reports on the shortfall of dialysis equipment at Korle bu. Mrs Opare further added that the donation of two dialysis machines was aimed at alleviating some of the challenges faced by the Renal Unit. She averred that GACL would cover the treatment cost for 50 patients on dialysis for a month as a way of easing the financial burden on patients.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of Korle Bu, Dr Frank Owusu Sekyere, expressed gratitude to GACL and encouraged other corporate institutions to emulate the kind gesture.
He noted that the intervention was timely, given that many patients struggle to pay for essential life-saving services, placing a strain on the hospital's resources.
Dr. Sekyere touched on the need for the installation of a reverse osmosis water purification system as a prerequisite to operating the dialysis machines, which was estimated at about ₵200,000. He appealed to corporate Ghana for support in that regard.
He was optimistic that the donation would go a long way to enhance the operations of the unit.
While expressing gratitude to GACL for the intervention, Dr. Vincent Boima, Kidney Disease Specialist at KBTH bemoaned the disturbing rise in kidney-related cases among Ghana’s most productive age group between 20 - 50 years. He called for increased support to help the unit manage such cases to enable patients to recover and contribute to the growth of the country.
Cheque Presentation to NCC
During the presentation, Managing Director, Mrs. Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare indicated that in line with GACL’s corporate social responsibility, staff members contribute a portion of their salaries to support the National Cardiothoracic Centre. These monies are, from time to time, presented to the Centre to support its operations.
On his part, the Acting Director of, the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Prof. Martin Tamatey, expressed appreciation to staff and Management of GACL for the thoughtful gesture and gave the assurance that the funds will be judiciously expended.