Meridian Port Services Limited (MPS) has presented four patient-monitoring devices to the Orthopaedic Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
The donation is part of its Corporate Social Initiatives (CSI) geared toward supporting the provision of quality healthcare in Ghana.
The MPS team, led by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammed Samara, underscored the need for all to help institutions providing such vital services.
He said: “As medical practitioners you ought to be addressed as ‘Honourable’ instead of Ladies and Gentlemen, because what you are accomplishing is beyond just health care. You save lives and comfort people from all walks of life in their weak moments. We are particularly pleased to learn that the institution is almost 100-years old and still functioning in this capacity for the public. Our hope is that this wonderful teaching hospital will be sustained for many generations to come.
“Our company’s contribution of this much-needed essential hospital equipment is to support your worthy cause, which was brought to our attention by Dr. Agbeko Ocloo. We are delighted to hear that this contribution will support you to save lives and provide better healthcare for patients,” Mr. Samara said.
The Head of Legal and Compliance, Frank Ebo Brown, recounted MPS’ track-record in healthcare support to other establishments and the rationale for the donation being to help the poor and needy who patronise these facilities.
“This is not our first donation of such nature. In the year 2012, MPS donated patient-monitoring devices to the Tema Polyclinic, and this was very much appreciated as g helping in the delivery of quality services to patients who visit the said facility; and MPS believes that the donation to Korle-Bu will serve the same purpose.”
Some officials of Korle-Bu Orthopaedic Centre commended MPS for the kind gesture and urged other private institutions to emulate it.
“We all see these things and think they are just gadgets donated by a corporate organisation, but the number of lives they will save, the number of families they will help, very few people outside the hospital setting have a sense of how much this is going to help us. It is going to help our work; it is going to save lives. And each life that is saved, we cannot put a monetary value on that life; so what you have done is really a very big thing. This benefits both patients and professionals, apart from the fact that it helps to make our work easier. To this end, we say a big ‘thank you’ to MPS for giving us this gift of life,” said Dr. Prudence Nutsuklo, a senior orthopaedic officer.
A Deputy Director of Medical Affairs, Dr. Harry Akoto noted the centre will need more support to make their work much easier and also save lives.
He said: “You can never say enough of ‘thank you’ – but like that the proverbial Oliver Twist, we are always going to need more. As you may be aware, this is a public institution; we don’t charge value for what we do because of our position and need to reach out to all, irrespective of their economic standing. As such, there is always a shortfall that must be somehow filled by government and well-meaning private institutions. We want more in order to provide the needed services. On behalf of management, we really appreciate what you have done”.
Also present at the presentation were senior medical officials from the Trauma Orthopaedics Unit – including the Head of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Dr. Frederick Kwarteng; Dr. Agbeko Ocloo, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon; and Dr. Michael Segbefia, Ghana’s only Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, as well as members of the hospital’s management.
