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The ‘Kokrokoo’ Charities Foundation, has initiated a campaign to equip neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of health facilities, nationwide, with incubators.

The campaign is titled: “Project 100 Incubators,” and was initiated in 2015 with the goal of raising funds to purchase a total of 100 incubators for health facilities across the country.

This is aimed at reducing the mortality rate of children born prematurely or pre-term- babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

According to the Foundation, the first beneficiary health facilities include Nsawam Government Hospital, Prestea Government Hospital, Police Hospital, and La General Hospital, in Accra.

Each of the facilities will have an incubator installed in support of neonatal care, explained Mr Dennis Adutwum, Director of Programmes of the Foundation.

The four hospitals were chosen based on a needs assessment carried out by the Foundation and on account of the huge volume of cases that access the facilities on daily basis.

Nsawam Government Hospital was recognised by the assessment as a key health service provider for a population of about 120,000.

Its services are accessed by a wider catchment area over and above its capacity and this includes residents of Akuapem South District which has no hospital, East Akim District, and Suhum among others.

The nearest referral for Nsawam Hospital, when required, is the nation’s premier hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

This happens particularly in the case where neonatal intensive care is required to save the life of a preterm baby or to manage other neonatal medical conditions in the absence of an incubator.

Dr Kofi Ablorh, the Hospital Medical Superintendent, indicated that the volume of preterm cases, on the average, is on the increase and that for the first quarter of this year, 39 preterm deliveries have been recorded.
This, he says, is far beyond the capacity of the hospital with only one incubator.

He expressed the hope that government, in the midst of existing challenges would find some resources to equip the hospital.

He, however, challenged the public, individuals and corporate bodies, NGOs and civil society organisations to help raise funds for the purchase of medical equipment particularly, incubators.

In selecting, the Prestea Government Hospital, a survey noted that the nearest referral for the facility and for Neonatal care was at Takoradi, some 145 kilometres away.

This posed a great challenge for the management of preterm cases that required the full components of the Kangaroo Mother Care to survive as the hospital had no incubator for neonatal intensive care services.

The La General and Police Hospitals, however, were selected based on the heavy patronage they received daily, besides serving as emergency referrals for almost all the polyclinics and private medical facilities in Accra with a high level of out-patient pressure.

Benefactors, so far, supporting the delivery of Project 100 Incubators by their cash donations include: Tropical Cable, Stanbic Bank, Unilever Gh, Japan motors, 2nd Image Academy, Goil Ghana Limited, Excel Oil, Capital Bank, Beige Foundation, Subscribers Depot, Skynet Express Delivery, as well as Churches, Mosques and individuals.

According to Mr Adutwum, the prohibitive cost of one incubator makes it a challenge for government alone, even with political will, to face the task of equipping major facilities with the optimum number of incubators.

It, therefore, requires the collaboration of individuals, civil society organisations and corporate institutions to make donations towards the purchase of such capital intensive equipment.

In furtherance of its campaign, Mr Adutwum revealed that ‘Kokrokoo’ Charities Foundation will soon launch a fund-raising event, raffle for a cause, to raise funds in support of Project 100 Incubators.

The major organisations and institutional partners for the fundraising include: National Lotteries Authority/Carittas, Ministry of Health, Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Association of Ghana Industries.
Partners supporting the raffle with products are: Unilever Ghana, CFAO, Fanmilk Ghana Limited, Melcom, Electroland, Niche Cocoa Industry and Societe Generale Bank Ltd, Promasidor, Allied Oil, Goil, Blessed Child Foods, NALLEM Clothing, GTP, Beauty Secrets Cosmetics, Engen, Grid Oil, and Nkulenu.