Accra, Nov. 3, GNA – Coca-Cola Bottling Company Ghana Limited has donated a cheque for GHS285,660 to the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund in support of Ghana Infectious Disease Centre (GIDC),Ga East Hospital in Kwabenya.
This is the fourth time the company is donating to the fund. So far the company has donated over one million Ghana cedis towards the fight against the pandemic.
Francoise Cleland, Human Resource Manager, Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Limited, on behalf of the management team, presented the dummy cheque to the fund.
She was elated over the massive transformation that had taken place at the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre (GIDC).
Mr Bethel Yeboah, Corporate Affairs Director, Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company (West African Countries Business Unit), said the company started donating to the GIDC since last year when calls were made to support the fund and it had so far donated over one million cedis to the fund.
Mr Yeboah said the company decided to involve its customers in the anti Covid-19 drive by paying a token of 10 pesewas on the company’s 1.5 litre bottle product.
He said the company would continue to donate to the fund because it was an investment into public health.
According to him, it was important for the people to vaccinate, adding that his organisation had made efforts to get all staff vaccinated and that it was thinking of making the vaccine available to the public.
“If you get vaccinated, it does not mean that you do not keep the basic protection measures. If you don’t, you put yourself at risk.”
He said about over 200 people who were on admission had been saved by the facility and only a few lives lost.
Mr Yebaoh said “It is good news to help the facility expand and tackle other challenges facing the health sector and GIDC needs more support to that effect.”
Mr Felix Kyei-Mensah, Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund Administrator, who received the cheque, thanked the company for the immense support to GIDC.
Mr Kyei-Mensah said a lot of people had enjoyed the services of the facility without paying and that had been through donations.
He urged the public not to be reluctant in getting vaccinated.
Dr. Joseph Oliver Commey, Acting Director, GIDC, said the donation would help maintain the centre as well as build other centres across the country.
Dr Commey expressed his gratitude to the company for its immense support to the Centre.
He said had it not been the donations, the Centre would have lost more than 42 persons.
“We have seen close to 202 severe/ critical patients and almost 600 mild cases at the Centre’s Out Patient Department.”
He urged the public to continue to lend their support to the fund to those in critical need.
GNA