Health Minister Kweku Agyeman Manu has hailed one of the telecommunications companies in the country, Vodafone Ghana for making a historic donation to the health sector.

The donation, which was worth US$1 million from Vodafone Care Foundation, a charity subsidiary of Vodafone Ghana, is intended to boost health care delivery, particularly in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The items received by the Minister on Friday, February 4, 2022, were made up of 459 cold-chain units, 275 vaccine freezers, 184 ice-lined combination refrigerators, and two walk-in cold rooms.  

Mr. Manu described the donation as a remarkable initiative and timely, as the ministry was set to roll out nationwide vaccination against the pandemic.

According to him, the items donated are vital assets that would aid in ensuring that vaccines are stored and delivered at an appropriate temperature, saying: “It will ensure proper vaccine management and contribute to improving immunisation service so as every Ghanaian receives quality vaccines.”

He said the shocks of Covid-19 on individuals’ lives, employment, and the economy cannot be ruled when discussing the pandemic.

Even though the minuses of the pandemic are numerous, there were some positives to be celebrated including organisations and benevolent people who stepped in to render their support to the country to build a resilient health system, he stressed.

“All of a sudden donors who had never been donors started calling in trying to show a little bit of support in trying to fight the battle. If that continued and the government magnanimity would help us to do a lot more for the health sector,” the Minister added.

Mr Manu cited Vodafone Ghana as one of the corporations that took their donations to the health sector to a different level.

The Minister did not shy away from further appealing to Vodafone Ghana to assist the ministry to stall the cooling facilities.

According to him, the ministry is struggling to install these cooling facilities it procured during the heat of the pandemic because other auxiliary items were not factored in the procurement.

He commended Vodafone Ghana for the many supports it has given to the health sector and hope that the telecommunication company will continue to collaborate with the ministry to achieve quality health delivery.

“The government is committed to making quality healthcare accessible to every Ghanaian citizen and we look forward to collaborating with Vodafone on more groundbreaking initiatives,” he adds.

The Deputy Minister of Communication, Ama Pomaa Boateng also commented for Vodafone Ghana for being socially accountable to its stakeholders and the public.

“The kind of positive impacts that have been observed in all aspects of our society, I have never ceased to admire the kind of effort and commitment of Vodafone to transform lives across this country,” she said.

The Deputy Minister added that despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, Vodafone continued to be generous to society with the provision of the cold chain system to distribute the vaccines, “the government finds this initiative laudable.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai on her part stated that from the onset of the pandemic, Vodafone Group and Vodafone Foundation had been sensitive to the government’s plight, and as a result, a significant contribution in grants and kinds valued at €150 million were made to that effect.

The company has also been focused on the introduction of groundbreaking technologies to help the fight against the pandemic.

Prior to these efforts, she added that the communication giant has introduced various innovative health initiatives including paying medical bills for insolvent patients, numbering over 2,000.

The movement to provide the cold chain facilities in such a value was novel, as the CEO was convinced that it was probably one of the largest health interventions in the history of the country and a crucial part of its health system.

She explained that the donation was to complement the government effort to achieve its target of vaccinating 20 million Ghanaians by April 2022 as well as to boost storage and delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine across the country.

Madam Obo-Nai reiterated that the donation would help improve the Ghana health infrastructure to fight against the pandemic and expects the items to be distributed to the various health facilities across the country.

According to her, the company is motivated to venture into these enterprises because “Vodafone believes in building a strategic partnership for development.”