Accra: Alhaji Seidu Agongo, a businessman and philanthropist, has paid the medical bills of 25 patients in the Out-Patient Department (OPD) of the Child Emergency Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. The Chief Executive Officer of the Zeera Group also made a cash donation of GHS20,000 to the unit to be used for purchasing consumables, including gloves and syringes. He also offered to repaint the facility and repair all air conditioning units to improve conditions for both patients and staff.
According to Ghana News Agency, Alhaji Agongo stated that the donation marked the beginning of a month-long support initiative for delivery women in four hospitals across the Greater Accra Region and another in the Volta Region. The initiative, dubbed 'Ramadan Donation,' will enable him to pay the medical bills of all delivery women in the Korle-Bu Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital, the Mammobi Polyclinic, the Adabraka Polyclinic, all in Accra, and the St Anthony Hospital at Dzodze.
The donations began on March 3 and will continue until March 31, coinciding with the end of the Ramadan fasting period. Ramadan is observed globally by Muslims as a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community support. Alhaji Agongo expressed that this is a special month, a period for getting closer to Allah, reflecting on life, and sharing with neighbors. He has chosen to share with women delivering during this period.
So far, about 45 women have benefited from the Ramadan donations. Hospital bills will be paid three times a week in the four selected hospitals. Alhaji Agongo began the donation at the Child Emergency Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital due to his personal connection to the block. In 2018, he was prompted to construct a new block for the unit upon seeing its condition.
Alhaji Agongo noted, "In 100 years, time, we will all be gone from the face of this earth. Nobody will go with a pesewa, but the impact we make in the lives of people will remain forever and it will multiply and impact many more."
Madam Mercy Asiedu, the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at the Child Emergency Unit of the Korle-Bu Hospital, who received the donation, commended Alhaji Agongo for his gesture, describing it as exemplary. She highlighted that the unit is overwhelmed with service demands, leading to inadequate internal resources. She called for additional support from philanthropists and benevolent organizations to enhance healthcare accessibility and pledged to ensure that the funds are used for their intended purpose.
