By Emmanuel Gamson
Takoradi, Jan. 3, GNA – The West Africa Alumnae Chapter (WAAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and Life Commission, have assisted some women admitted at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital with the payment of their medical bills.
The gesture, which was worth GHC40,787.79 formed part of activities to put smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries who delivered babies during the Christmas festivities and the new year celebrations.
A total amount of GHC23,974.40 was paid for 14 of the beneficiaries at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, and GHC16,813.39 for five women at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Ms Erica Monique Daniel, a member of the WAAC Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, in a statement, said their group started the programme in 2021 with this year being the third time of assisting women who had had deliveries and could not pay their medical bills.
She explained that her organisation raised funds yearly in support of payments of such hospital bills adding “We pity women in such situations when they should have joined their families to celebrate the Christmas and the new year.”
She continued: “As we come to assist our sisters who have been detained at the two hospitals when they were due to go home after delivering, the lesson to learn is that the people out there need to see the plight of other women in such situations and come to their aid.
“It sometimes reminds me that we should not take things for granted as there are real hard times and situations people are facing.”
Ms Daniel, thus, called on other benevolent organisations and individuals to come to the aid of those in similar situations and help put a smile on their faces.
Madam Suaad Yakubu, a Staff Nurse at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, who received the payments for the beneficiaries on behalf of the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Ralph Armah, was full of praise for the two organisations, and said the gesture had come at the right time.
She stated that the Hospital had continuously been facing such challenges of women who delivered at the facility but could not meet the payments of the expenses and as such were detained for days or months.
She said usually, the bills for a person ranged between GHC1,000 to GHC7,000 depending on situations and complications which she said was worrying.
‘’When the patients are detained, we the nurses, and for that matter the entire staff are not happy because it brings about other challenges and complications with their wounds when they continue to be in the hospital while they should have been at home. They occupy the beds and new cases and new referrals to the facility become a problem,” the staff nurse added.
Madam Yakubu, therefore, commended the organisations, saying “When people and organisations come to pay for such unfortunate patients or women, we the staff are more than happy.”
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is an organization of college-educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and public services with primary focus on the black community.
It was founded in Washington DC in January 1913, whilst the West Africa Alumnae Chapter was chartered on the 18th of April 2021.
GNA