Incubators for two health institutions

The Presbyterian Hospital at Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region and the Police Hospital in Accra have received incubators to help them effectively handle cases of preterm babies.

The Presbyterian Hospital received four incubators valued at GH¢50,000.00 from the Access Bank Ghana Limited to support the operation of its Pediatric Unit, while the Young Christian Workers Movement (YCWM) of Christ the King Catholic Church donated an incubator, valued at GH¢17,000.00 to the Police Hospital in Accra.

About five months ago, the Presbyterian Hospital, which serves as a referral centre for the Dormaa Central, East and West districts, as well as some communities from nearby La Cote d’Ivoire, did not have a single incubator and the situation compelled the Resident Pediatrician, Dr Adoma Dwomo Fokuo, to construct improvised incubators with the assistance of local carpenters to ensure the survival of preterm babies, reports Emmanuel Adu-Gyamarah, Dorma-Ahenkro.

The issue attracted a media publicity and since then some organisations have come to the aid of the hospital to make the unit a centre of excellence with modern equipment.

Donations

The four incubators presented by the Access Bank brings to nine the number currently at the Pediatric Unit since the situation of the hospital was brought to the attention of the general public through publications in the Daily Graphic and other media outlets.

The other donations came from the Schaeffer Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Dormaa Ahenkro (one), Vodafone/African Mining Services/African Underground Mining Services (two), the Christian Praise International Church (CPIC) (one), and another one was purchased from proceeds of a fundraising activity organised by the hospital.

Dr Fokuo’s vision

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Dr Fokuo said it was the wish of the unit to have a pediatric ambulance equipped with the necessary equipment to convey babies born prematurely from the remote areas to the hospital.

She explained that such a vehicle was important since it would ensure the survival of such babies and begin the healing process before the babies reached the hospital.

Dr Fokuo appealed to other institutions to emulate the gesture of Access Bank by providing the unit with other equipment such as monitors to check the  heartbeats of babies; ventilators to assist the breathing of the babies and a photo therapy machine.  He also pleaded for the construction of a hostel to accommodate mothers of children admitted to the hospital.

Access Bank

The Executive Director in charge of Operation and Information Technology of the bank, Mr Kameel Adebayo, said besides the donation, the bank had renovated the Maternity Unit of the Ridge Hospital in Accra and assisted some amputees with artificial limps.

The General Manager of the Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital, Dr Isaac Appiah, who received the equipment on behalf of the hospital, thanked the bank as well as the other donors for their response to the needs of the Pediatric Unit.

For his part, the Aduanahene of the Dormaa Traditional Area, Barima Yeboah Kordie, said the people of the area appreciated the bank’s gesture and urged other banking institutions to help equip heath institutions in their areas of operation.

In another development, Timothy Ngnenbe reports that in making the donation to the Police Hospital in Accra, the President of the Young Christian Workers Movement (YCWM) of Christ the King Catholic Church, Ms Monica Mana Nyarko, said the donation formed part of a project they had embarked on during their 25th anniversary celebration last year to help the needy.

“The Kangaroo Mother Care method, baby warmer, and the wrapping of babies in blankets are common practices used in handling pre-mature babies. But these methods are rudimentary and so we decided to get an incubator, which is a more advanced way of caring for these preterm children”, she said.

Support for the needy

Speaking at the event, the Parish Priest of Christ the King Catholic Church, Rev. Father Andrew Campbell, called on corporate bodies and the rich to come to the aid of the poor and destitute since that was in accordance with the divine call to be each other’s keeper.

Receiving the incubator on behalf of the hospital, the Deputy Director in charge of Nursing Services at the hospital, Superintendent Marufatu Essie Barimah, disclosed that the hospital had only one incubator which had been mounted at the Maternity Ward to cater for all cases of pre-term babies.

She described the donation as ‘timely and very important’ , pointing out that the hospital recorded not less than four cases of preterm babies monthly.