Kokrokoo Charities is making steady progress in its quest to provide 100 incubators to health facilities in Ghana, after presenting two of the equipment to the Kumasi South Hospital, becoming the 46th and 47th incubators to hospitals across the country.
Dubbed: “Project 100 incubators”, the initiative, launched in 2014 by Kwami Sefa Kayi, a broadcaster, sought to raise funds to purchase 100 incubators for various health facilities to reduce the mortality rate of pre-term babies.
With about 140,000 children born prematurely every year in Ghana, out of which more than 8,000 die before 30 days, Kokrokoo Charities is seeking to intervene by providing the incubators to address infant mortality in the country.
The foundation mobilises funds using the 'Kokrokoo' Morning Show on Peace FM as the vehicle to achieve the ambitious target.
Until the donation of the two incubators to the Kumasi South Hospital, which also serves at the Ashanti Regional Hospital, Kokrokoo Charities had provided 45 incubators to various hospitals across the country.
The staff of the Maternity Unit were trained on the use of the equipment as part of measures to ensure its effective usage and prolong its lifespan.
Mr Sefa Kayi, who led a team of officials from the foundation for the presentation, said there was still a long way to go to hit the 100 targets and invited philanthropists and corporate bodies to support the initiative.
He said saving premature babies was a worthy cause that required the collective efforts of all well-meaning Ghanaians.
The cost involved in procuring one incubator, he disclosed, was $10,000, underlying the need to mobilise more resources to execute the project.
Following a needs assessment of the Hospital by the Kokrokoo team, it became imperative to donate the two incubators to cater for the number of cases referred to the facility, he noted.
“After the needs assessment, we are here today to present two incubators and we pray that much as we are on a campaign to support hospitals, clinics and medical facilities we will ensure that the right facilities would get them,” he said.
Dr Kwame Ofori Boadu, the Medical Director of the Hospital, said the donation was timely as it would go a long way to improve neonatal care, adding that the Maternity Unit had, sometimes, been adopting the kangaroo mother care system for the care of pre-term babies due to lack of adequate incubators.
It had been recording an averagely of 30 pre-term cases a month because it was a referral facility, he said and praised Kokrokoo Charities for the intervention.
Source: GNA
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