Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), has donated products worth GHC251, 000 to support the Ministry of Health to the fight against Coronavirus (Covid-19).

The items donated include modified Veronica bucket, pharmaceuticals, sanitizers and gloves.

Tobinco’s donation was premised on how nations around the world, including developed ones, are being devastated by the global outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, which Ghana is equally paying her price.

Samuel Amo Tobbin, Tobinco Group of Companies Chairman, handled over the items to the Ministry of Health few days ago at Ridge-Accra.

The company being one of the giants in pharmaceuticals in the West Africa sub-region, he said “We find it so grateful to do this donation here, to the Ministry of Health. This is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility.

“We want to support the government in this cause. We have seen the fighting that government is fighting this pandemic. It is our duty to support the government to fight this Covid-19. I urge all my colleague businessmen to extend their hand of support to the Ministry of Health and other places.”

Tobinco will also be extending same gesture to the rural areas, where the most vulnerable are.

Even though the government is doing everything possible to curb the virus spread, the public were equally advised to play their part by adhering to safety precautions and guidelines.

Mr Tobinco urged the public to obey the rules set in place- wash your hands with soap under running water, stop touching surfaces, stop greeting, stay distance away for other and use sanitizers.

It will also be realised that, due to high demand and shortage of sanitizers, it suddenly became one of the expensive commodity to buy one the market but Tobinco would be working hard to fill the gap to manufacture more in this regard.

This, also follows President’s Akufo-Addo’s appeal to pharmaceutical companies to beef up their efforts to manufacture sanitizers locally.

He said the listed medicines – Vitamin C, Zinvite and other vitamins- that were donated would help boost individuals their immune system against the virus.

Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu on his part thanked the group chairman and his companies for their kindness and added “if the nation is in crisis, you are one of the people we can be rely on for support.”

He further stated: “We don’t always have to look outside for this supports. Now almost everywhere in the world, people are in crises and this not the time you go begging form Europe and form America or from China.

According to him, the kind gesture is a demonstration that the citizens can also do something for ourselves and the nation.

The gesture, he said it was worth to be emulated by other companies in operating in the country, saying: “Already, we have received a lots of items from some donors- Ken City has actually donated quite a number of items, the Pentecost Church has given us some items, and GCB Bank has given us cash.

“Some are still knocking on our doors to come and donate, and I believe, by the close of the weekend, I will receive some logistics that would continuously be distributed across the country.”

The items would be distributed as and when the Ministry receives them, however, the government will is still in the process of procuring most of the equipment and items for distribution.

“We are now moving into situations where we are getting people to be treated and centres are ready. We are mobilising our health staff and we believe that wherever we take people, they will be ready to look critically after them,” he said.   

By Bernice Bessey