The Ghana Export and Import Bank (GEXIM) Ladies and Men Associations on Tuesday presented medical items costing about GH¢200,000 to the Paediatric Oncology Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
The donation, which formed part of activities marking the bank’s 10th anniversary, comprised more than 15 items, including patient monitors, vital signs monitors, an examination table, defibrillators, a defibrillator monitor, oxygen cylinders, emergency stretchers, IV pole stands, blood pressure monitors, five-fold ward screens, large kidney dishes and disposable bed mats.
Presenting the items, the Head of Sustainability at GEXIM, Dr Abena Asomaning, described the gesture as a show of wisdom and the first step in demonstrating love to the unit. She said the staff had decided to represent their colleagues by volunteering their time to understand the needs of the hospital.
Paediatric cancer
Receiving the items, the Principal Nursing Officer and Head of Engagement at the Department of Child Health, Lawrencia Akweley Turkson, thanked the GEXIM staff and said the unit receives referrals from across Ghana and West Africa.
“We get referrals from everywhere.
So indirectly we are touching West Africa because we get referrals.
We see children from various parts of the country and other West African countries,” she said.
She said the unit handles paediatric cancer, kidney issues, infectious diseases and other specialties.
She noted that the department had existed for over 60 years, but its infrastructure had not changed much while patient numbers kept increasing.
“Every time we have to do the magic. I don’t know how we do it.
I think God helps us,” she said.
Ms Turkson said the donations would go a long way to support needy patients.
She disclosed that the Head of Department, Professor Katrin Segbepia, had introduced a “100 by 100” project to sustain support for the unit. “It simply means that we want 100,000 people to donate at least GH¢100 to the Department of Child Health,” she explained. She said the project would help provide equipment and improve infrastructure, adding that Korle Bu should go beyond its current state.
