In a heartfelt act of royal benevolence that directly addresses a life-threatening shortage of vital medical equipment, the Paramount Chief of Kwahu Traditional Council (KTC), Daasebre Akuamoah Boateng III, has supported three hospitals in his traditional area with four state-of-the-art incubators and three defibrillators.
Standard practice dictates that a district-level hospital be equipped with at least six to 10 incubators; however, the three beneficiary facilities – namely the Presbyterian Hospital, Donkor Krom; Holy Family Hospital, Nkawkaw; and Kwahu Government Hospital, Atibie – combined cannot boast of even six incubators, underscoring the critical importance of such an intervention.
For instance, the Holy Family Hospital located in Nkawkaw under the Kwahu West district has a 153,000 demographic population of which 24 percent are women within the fertile age bracket. With such statistics, four percent of the fertile age women are expected to conceive annually – which is approximately 6,000 new babies with an estimated five percent being pre-term deliveries.
This requires at least not less than six incubators, but the facility has only two without any functioning defibrillators; hence, the kind gesture comes in handy to satisfy these equipment needs.
Municipal Director of Health Kwahu West and Acting Director for Kwahu South Celestina Asante, receiving the donations, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to their traditional authority for the royal benevolence – emphasising that incubators are in high demand within the facilities which received the donation, as population growth has outstripped the current facilities and equipment available.
“Ideally, the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital, which is a typical district hospital, should have about five to 10 incubators, but now that we have three, it will at least help to reduce the pressure. Sometimes we transfer pre-term babies to the Koforidua regional hospital or other hospitals in Accra; and because of our poor roads, most of them do not make it through the journey,” she said.
She further called on government and philanthropic organisations, as well as the corporate world, to come to the aid of health facilities in the Kwahu West, East and Afram Plains districts.
The landmark donation, presented to three facilities at the Kwahu Government Hospital-Atibie, is assured to improve neonatal care and emergency response, offering new strength to countless pregnant women, newborns, and patients in critical condition.
This kind gesture cements Daasebre Boateng III’s legacy as a chief truly devoted to the well-being of his people, which aligns with his development plan for the Kwahu area outlined in his blueprint policy document for the health sector unveilled during his enthronement.
Addressing the gathering of health sector stakeholders, traditional leaders and natives of Kwahu, Daasebre Akuamoah Boateng III underscored the importance of a healthy population in the economic development of a community and a country in general.
He highlighted that the equipment was facilitated by Angelina Ama Agyemang, a philanthropist in the United Kingdom (UK) and Director of Uplift the Children Foundation who secured the equipment and reached out for him to facilitate the shipment and other important processes’ cost to get them to the desired destinations.
Daasebre assured Kwahuman of his commitment to promote development and improve the livelihoods and living standards of people in the area.
“I am glad with the smooth process of this exercise. As my queen mother urged you earlier, I will reiterate that you put this equipment to good use and maintain it properly to deliver the expected results,” he said.
To ensure the equipment is used properly, the paramount chief also facilitated an expert flying into the country to help with installating the machines and urged that management should always reach out to his office anytime the equipment breaks down for the experts to come back and fix it.
General Manager Presby Hospital Kweku Fianko Gyan, taking his turn, highlighted that the Afram Plains Island covers about one-third of the Eastern Region in terms of land size; but his facility – which is the only hospital serving two districts, Afram Plains North and South – is handicapped in terms of facilities and equipment.
He expressed his excitement regarding the incubators and defibrillators received, which he described as a timely intervention to ease the pressure on an understaffed facility that is overwhelmed with patients daily.
He called on government and the public for assistance with more beds, an anesthesia machine and lab equipment, among others.
The devices donated are essential in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) to support infant development and recovery, as well as diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
Hospital baby incubators are sealed, transparent enclosures that provide a controlled environment for premature or sick newborns, regulating temperature, humidity and oxygen to mimic the mother’s womb. They protect fragile infants from cold, infections and excessive noise while allowing medical staff to monitor their health and deliver necessary care.
A defibrillator machine is a life-saving medical device that delivers an electric shock to the heart to correct abnormal, life-threatening rhythms like ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, helping to restore a normal heart rhythm during a cardiac arrest.
