Standard Chartered Bank, in collaboration with mPharma, has presented portable Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) equipment as well as diagnostic extraction kits and tubes to the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), to aid the mass testing of COVID-19 cases in Ghana.
The donation is part of a GH¢1million commitment by the bank to support government and other private organisations in testing and detecting COVID-19 in Ghana.
A month earlier, the bank presented the first Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) equipment to the Nogouchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research to aid the swift response to COVID-19 cases in the country. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a technique to make many copies of a specific DNA region in vitro (in a test tube rather than an organism).
According to Asiedua Addae-Head of Marketing, Brand and Corporate Affairs, providing mass testing is a very important tool to be adopted in early detection of COVID-19 in order to adequately fight the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
She said Standard Chartered Bank has committed GH¢1million to support emergency relief and aid for those affected by COVID-19 in Ghana through three key ways: helping the vulnerable, assisting medical frontline workers with PPE, and bolstering widespread testing.
“At Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, we live up to our brand promise of ‘Here for Good’ and hope that the testing equipment will enable more people to learn their COVID-19 status so they can take care of themselves and their families.”
On his part, Co-Founder and CEO-mPharma, Gregory Rockson, expressed his excitement at being able to partner with Standard Chartered to support the fight against COVID-19 in the country. “We are happy to partner with Standard Chartered Bank in this donation, because we believe it is important to do widespread testing faster – especially for emergency cases as we continue fighting this pandemic,” he said.
Receiving the items, Scientific Director of the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Professor Robert Phillips, expressed gratitude to Standard Chartered Bank and mPharma for their unwavering support to the fight against coronavirus in the country.
He said the donation will quicken their testing efforts, urging citizens to continue adhering to all the COVID-19 protocols in order to swiftly and tactically defeat the virus.
“This portable testing equipment works within short timelines to deliver results, and it is a great blessing for KCCR as we aim to respond to the pandemic in an even greater way. We urge Ghanaians not to relent in following government’s guidelines on social distancing and hygiene,” he added.
In a related development, Standard Chartered Bank donated some Personal Protective Equipment to the Department of Child Health at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The items were made up of N95 masks, surgical gloves and coveralls.
