As the world marks Saint Valentine’s Day which is set aside for the celebration of love and affection, AirtelTigo has donated medical equipment and supplies to the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics (Sickle Cell Clinic), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to show love to people living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
The medical equipment donated included infrared vein finders, mobile oxygen cylinders (40ltr), pulse oximeters, mobile ECG machines (12 channel), cardiac monitor (invasive), centrifuges, and other medical supplies meant for the screening and management of Sickle Cell Disease.
The donation is in line with the AirtelTigo Touching Lives_Sickle Cell Edition which seeks to educate and inform Ghanaians about Sickle Cell disease, how to support persons living with it and the importance of knowing one’s sickle cell status.
Speaking during the presentation at the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics (Sickle Cell Clinic), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Leo Skarlatos, Chief Executive Officer at AirtelTigo noted that Valentine’s Day couldn’t have been a better time to raise awareness on Sickle Cell Disease by empowering persons living with the condition.
“The donation of medical equipment and supplies to Korle Bu’s Sickle Cell Unit is one of the ways AirtelTigo is improving the lives Ghanaians through healthcare. Today, as people exchange gifts as a showcase of their love, we equally continue to ‘walk the talk’ by showing our love and advocating for persons living with Sickle Cell Disease through this donation to the Sickle Cell Unit for patients to enjoy better quality life”, he added.
Dr. Amma Benneh-Akwasi Kuma, Director of the Sickle Cell Unit at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, expressed gratitude to AirtelTigo for its heartwarming gesture during this period of love. “We are very excited for the show of love; the items donated are things we are in dire need of and have had on our wishlist for a long time. As an institute, we do not have wards, so when we detain patients and we realize there’s a need to transfer them to another facility, oxygen becomes necessary while they are being transported, because some of them are compromised in terms of their respiration or their breathing. The donation of mobile oxygen cylinders by AirtelTigo is very timely and appreciated. She noted.
Among those in attendance were representatives from AirtelTigo, International Sickle Cell Centre (ISCC), the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics (Sickle Cell Clinic), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, and some Sickle Cell Warriors.
The AirtelTigo Touching Lives Sickle Cell Edition forms part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts in Ghana and has since 2022 been executing a national Sickle Cell educational campaign. The campaign includes 12-part series programme being aired on television and radio channels across the country to create awareness on the disease.