By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Feb. 17, GNA – The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has presented cocoa products to a set of quadruplets delivered at the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga, on this year’s National Chocolate Day.
The four babies, all boys, were born to a 30-year-old Madam Patience Akanzeriwe from Sandema, a few hours before the Upper East Regional Directorate of the GTA arrived at the hospital to mark the celebrations with kids admitted at the referral facility.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the celebration, Dr Gillian Bogee, the Head of Newborn Care Unit, Upper East Regional Hospital, said the babies were 27 weeks and were delivered prematurely but through normal delivery.
She explained that Madam Akanzeriwe was transferred from Sandema to the regional hospital in Bolgatanga and the then expectant mother was anticipating twins.
“She was actually expecting to have twins, only for two to follow, so they came in quadruplets,” she said.
Mr Wisdom Ahadzi, the Upper East Regional Director of the GTA, who presented chocolate to the mother of the quadruplets and other children admitted at the Children Ward of the hospital, said the gesture was part of showing love to the children as the day also marked Valentines’ Day.
He said 2025 was the 20th anniversary of the National Chocolate Day celebration and the GTA had chosen to celebrate the day with children on admission at the hospital to express their love for them
“Today being a day of love, if you go out you will feel the love but the unfortunate ones who are under the weather and admitted here (hospital) will not be able express this love, so we decided to bring the love to them.
“It is our prayer that as they take this chocolate, their healing process would be speedy and in no time, they will be out of this hospital”, he said.
He said the celebration was also part of efforts to showcase the health and economic benefits of cocoa products and the need for Ghanaians to consume chocolate and other cocoa products for healthy living and economic growth.
Dr Bertha Volematome Gibil, the Pediatrician in charge of the Children Ward at the Regional Hospital expressed gratitude to the GTA for the gesture and noted that the initiative should be a continuous exercise at the hospital.
She said chocolate had significant health benefits especially for children, adding that chocolate consumption helped in brain, skin and heart functioning as well as boost immune system and urged the public to consume chocolate to stay healthy.
GNA