Over the weekend, exploration and drilling company GTS Drilling and others were commended for the tremendous support given to the Children’s Heart Foundation over the years.
President of the Children’s Heart Foundation, Ghana, Jacqui Ahomka-Lindsay, said over 200 children are diagnosed with congenital heart diseases annually in the country whose families cannot afford the US$6,000 to US$10,000 per surgery to save their children’s lives.
Speaking at the organisation’s annual fundraiser ball, she emphasised that it takes benevolent and kind-hearted individuals and organisations to come to the aid of children with heart defects.
“At this juncture, I will like to mention the names of some companies that, since 2011, have supported us. These include GTS Drilling, Ghana International School, Labadi Beach Hotel, and Interplast – for helping undertake the surgeries of children with heart defects financially,” said Mrs. Ahomka-Lindsay.
“The rest are Tropical Cables, Electromat, Melcom and ECOBANK, among several others,” she emphasised, who have been pillars of the activities of the Children’s Heart Foundation.
The president of the Children’s Heart Foundation explained how heart disorders have, over the past years, affected the growth and development of infants in the country and the need to treat them properly.
“Congenital heart disorder continues to be the most common type of child birth defect for infants worldwide. These are defects that do not discriminate based on affluence or lack thereof; and those environmental conditions, especially at the early age of pregnancy when the major organs of the fetus are developing, can increase or decrease the risk of a child being born with various heart defects – leading to heart diseases if not treated properly,” she added.
Human Resources Manager for GTS Drilling, Iddi Baah-Kurey, said in an interview that the company is motivated to savethe lives of children with such heart defects. “Saving the children’s lives is close to our hearts”. The real heroes are the children who demonstrate such courage and patience while undergoing their treatment and recovery, said Mr. Baah-Kurey.
“Each recipient inspires us, as employees of GTS Drilling and individuals, while reminding us that health is really the greatest wealth,” the Human Resources Manager added.
GTS Drilling, is a local provider of drilling services to major, intermediate and junior mining companies in Ghana. The company has a strong philosophy to undertake corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in a range of community-orientated areas, including sports, health, environment and education.
The Children’s Heart Foundation of Ghana was established in 2011; and it is run by six trustees and supported by their patrons. The group raises funds to assist families who cannot afford the cost of a sick child’s open-heart surgery. It works with the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to identify children who need financial help, irrespective of whether they approach them directly or not.
Their task is to raise funds, and they have raised over US$2.6million for the surgeries of over 207 children. It currently has 56 children on their waiting list who need care at an average cost of US$8,000 per child per surgery.
