Zenith Bank Ghana has supported the Paediatric Oncology Unit of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) as part of activities marking the Go Yellow Campaign for childhood cancer care.
The support included a financial donation of GH150,000 to assist with the treatment and care of children with cancer, as well as providing toys and other gifts for children on admission at the Unit.
The Go Yellow Campaign was launched in September by Cure Childhood Cancer Ghana in partnership with the Greater Accra Regional Hospital to mobilise funds for childhood cancer treatment and care.
The Zenith Bank team was led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Henry Onwuzurigbo, and accompanied by staff of the Bank.
Mr Onwuzurigbo said the Bank’s decision to support childhood cancer care was consistent with its corporate social responsibility approach, particularly as it celebrated 21 years of operations in Ghana.
He said healthcare remained an important area of the Bank’s CSR initiatives and that it would continue to support communities and institutions where its interventions could make a practical difference.
Mr Onwuzurigbo said the Bank’s support for childhood cancer care was not a one-off intervention, noting that it had previously supported the Paediatric Oncology Unit at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
He said the Bank believed every child deserved access to the care needed to overcome cancer and would continue to play its part in supporting affected children and their families.
Dr Nihad Salifu, Head of Paediatric Oncology at the Ridge Hospital and Founder of the Cure Childhood Cancer Ghana, expressed gratitude to the Bank for supporting the campaign.
She said childhood cancer care was expensive but curable, and urged stakeholders to invest in treatment to give affected children the opportunity to live normal and productive lives.
“Childhood cancer care all over the world is an expensive business, but people need to invest in it because it can be cured,” she said.
Dr Salifu said the Unit had grown from four patients in its first year, six years ago, to more than 40 patients annually, with some children requiring treatment for up to three years.
She said the Unit initially started with four beds, but increasing patient numbers had compelled it to use its playroom to administer outpatient chemotherapy.
She said the Foundation supported chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, nutrition and psychosocial care, as well as transportation for patients.
Dr Salifu said the transportation support had helped to reduce treatment abandonment among childhood cancer patients from 30 per cent to zero.
Dr Adam Zakaria, Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, said the hospital provided tertiary-level healthcare at an affordable cost and was working to develop the
Paediatric Oncology Unit into a Centre of Excellence.
He assured donors and stakeholders that the hospital would ensure the judicious use of the support provided for childhood cancer care.
Hanifa Yahaya, Board Chair of Cure Childhood Cancer Ghana, thanked Zenith Bank for the donation and described the gesture as significant to the Organisation and the children under its care.
