To enhance the safety of health personnel in its catchment areas, Newmont Ghana’s Akyem Mine has donated GHC166, 000 worth of medical supplies to the New Abirem Government Hospital and the Birim Central Municipal Health Directorate. This is to support the COVID-19 relief efforts in the mine’s host communities and region.
The donation included Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), personal hygiene items and hospital equipment and consumables. The company also supplied the New Abirem Government Hospital with building materials, worth GHC28, 500, to support the construction of an isolation unit at the facility.
At a ceremony to present the items, the General Manager of Newmont Ghana’s Akyem Mine, Joshua Mortoti, stated that the company was committed to supporting public health institutions to be better positioned to manage the effects of the virus in the mine’s catchment area.
“As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve within the country, we recognise the critical need for these interventions in our communities to stem the spread of the virus,” Mr Mortoti said.
“At Newmont Ghana, nothing is more important than health and safety of our people and host communities. It is our hope that our contribution will go a long way to facilitate the work of our frontline workers in fighting COVID-19 in our host communities,” he added.
Preventing spread
Receiving the items, the Municipal Director of Health Services, James Avoka, said, since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, the Ghana Health Service has been working tirelessly to prevent and control the spread of the virus with limited resources.
He stated that the Newmont’s donation has come as a timely response to the directorate’s request for PPEs and other medical supplies “to benefit hospitals and clinics across our municipality.”
The District Chief Executive for Birim North, Remond Nana Damptey, thanked the company for its continuous support.
He said, “This donation adds on to Newmont’s previous $20,000 contribution towards the District Assembly’s efforts. The construction of the isolation unit at the New Abirem Government Hospital will only enhance our preparedness and response capabilities within the district.”
The recent donation follows the mining company’s donation of $100,000 support package towards Ghana’s public health efforts to control the transmission of COVID-19 in the country in April this year. It supported the Noguchi Health and Medical Research Centre, in Accra, and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine with $25,000 each towards the procurement of test kits.
The Asutifi North and Birim North district assemblies also received $20,000 each while the Tano North municipal assembly received $10,000 to support preventive measures in and around Newmont’s Ahafo and Akyem mines and its Ahafo North Project area.
