Nana Prah Agyensaim VI (3rd from left) leads the Ghacem team to hand over the dummy presentation to the Korle Bu team, led by Prof. Christabel Laryea, Head of Department, Child Health, while Prof. Lorna Renner (3rd Right) and others look on

Ghacem Foundation supports Korle Bu children’s cancer unit

Daily Graphic Dec - 21 - 2023 , 07:04 3 minutes read

Ghacem Cement Foundation (GCF) has handed over 3,000 bags of cement to the Oncology Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to support in the construction of a new ward for children battling with cancer.

The social investment arm of the premier cement company, Ghacem, presented the items estimated at GH¢250,000 through the Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana.

Additionally, Ghacem has pledged a commitment to provide all the cement needed for the completion of the entire project.

The children’s cancer ward at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is a 24-bed ward with a day care unit for children undergoing chemotherapy.

According to officials at the ward, the place is often full and a lot of the children await admission at the emergency room.

The new building project is estimated to admit between 250-300 patients annually which will serve as a boost in providing quality health care for the kids as infection rate will be reduced.

The Head of the Pediatric Oncology Unit, Professor Lorna Renner, who briefed the media on the current situation at the ward, also thanked Ghacem for what she described as a noble and touching gesture of wiping away the tears of the unit.

“We are overwhelmed by the fact that they are going to be with us throughout the completion of the entire project.

This will give us an opportunity to improve on the outcome of the disease,” she said.

Prof. Renner added that childhood cancer was curable when detected early as such any effort to improve care was important.

“We used to record about 150 cases every year and it has now doubled to about 250 to 300, so we needed this expansion project urgently,” she said.

“On behalf of the Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana and the Oncology Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital I wish to express our gratitude to Ghacem Ltd for this kind donation,” the Head of the unit stated.

The Chairman of the Ghacem Cement Foundation, Ahunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, presented the first batch of the 3,000 bags of cement to the unit.

He was supported by the Finance Director of Ghacem, Gideon Atta, and the Lead, Marketing and Public Relations of Ghacem, Frank Antwi Agyapong.

Ahunabobrim Prah Agyensaim stated that the donation was momentous for Ghacem as it embarked on a course that transcended corporate boundaries and spoke to shared humanity values.

“This commitment goes beyond these materials as it’s one that shows solidarity and a promise to be a beacon of hope for these young souls,” he said.

The Ghacem Cement Foundation, he recalled, was established in 2002 as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility to assist deprived communities to improve their health and educational infrastructure and has since its establishment donated about 700,000 bags estimated at GH¢53 million.