By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
Melcom Ghana has donated medical refrigerators to 25 hospitals across the country. This gesture forms part of the retail giant’s decade-long commitment to boosting healthcare supplies and infrastructure in the country.
Valued at approximately US$125,000, the donation addresses hospitals’ critical storage needs; especially for storing life-saving blood and vaccines.
This year’s donation of 25 refrigerators to these hospitals marks the 12th year since the initiative started in 2013.
Beneficiaries of the donation include Ga North Municipal Hospital, Ga West Municipal Hospital, Lekma Hospital, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Tarkwa Government Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Tema General Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Police Hospital and Ga East Municipal Hospital among others.
Speaking at a handing-over ceremony in Accra, the Managing Director of Melcom Group, Ramesh Sadhwani, emphasised the company’s long-standing commitment to improving healthcare in the country.
“This year’s donation of another 25 refrigerators brings the total number we have donated to health institutions to 70,” Mr. Sadhwani stated, referencing a similar donation last year.
Mr. Sadhwani stated that there’s been a deliberate effort to expand the initiative’s reach beyond Accra and Kumasi to include hospitals in rural Ghana.
He however linked Melcom Ghana’s corporate social responsibility (CSR), which encompasses this initiative, to national prosperity. “We are convinced that a healthy population is an important prerequisite for higher productivity,” he said – citing Melcom’s decade-long support for blood donation drives, another CSR initiative that has yielded approximately 12,000 pints of blood.
Amid appalling blood donation rates in the country, far below the World Health Organisation’s recommended levels, Mr. Sadhwani made a passionate plea to Ghanaians: “I implore Ghanaians, particularly youth, to regularly donate blood to save lives, especially the lives of pregnant women, accident victims and their needy children”.
General Manager-Melcom Group Francis Sam detailed the financial commitment, explaining that each fridge cost around US$5,000. He emphasised the premium Melcom places on the health of Ghanaians.
“Basically, to keep our communities healthy,” Sam said. “To ensure we have a healthy Ghanaian community that can patronise our shops and grow with us in prosperity.”
Following the announced exit of one of Melcom peers from the domestic market, Mr. Sam expressed strong confidence in the economy despite the challenges, stressing that Melcom remains a committed long-term development partner to Ghana.
The Public Relations Manager for the Ga East Municipal Hospital, Gloria Bentum – receiving the first refrigerator – explained how impactful the donation will be to healthcare delivery at her hospital. “We do have refrigerators, but it’s not enough. The more, the better. It is going to help us serve the public better, to reach out to more,” she added.
Mrs. Bentum’s sentiment echoed the relief felt by many of the 25 hospitals that benefitted from Melcom Ghana’s generous donation.
This donation fall under the retail giant’s CSR health pillar.
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