The Department of Child Health at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has launched a special campaign that is aimed at mobilising people to donate money to support child health care at the department.

Dubbed the 100 X 100 Child Health Campaign, it seeks to mobilise at least 100,000 people, with each contributing GH¢100 or more to support improved child health care, service delivery, training, research and institutional capacity.

Of the funds expected to be raised through the campaign, 30 per cent would be allocated to providing essential medical equipment for the diabetes and kidney care wards.

Another 15 per cent would be used to strengthen the hospital's babies unit, while a further 15 per cent would go towards the provision of furniture and essential accessories to transform outpatient spaces into more welcoming environments for healing and comfort.

The remaining 10 per cent would be used to ensure accountable campaign management and support community outreach initiatives.

The Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Michael Harry Yamson, assisted by the Director, Medical Affairs of the hospital, Dr Frank Owusu Sekyere; the Head of the Child Health Department, Professor Catherine Segbefia, and other senior members of the department and the hospital, launched the campaign at a ceremony at the hospital's premises in Accra yesterday.

Established in 1964, the department, according to Prof. Segbefia, has cared for generations of children while building exceptional expertise in treating the country's sickest children, as well as patients from beyond Ghana's borders.

However, she said, even though the department’s expertise had grown in leaps and bounds, the spaces that provided that care had not seen much development.

“Our wards were built in an era when mothers were not expected to sit by their babies; when fathers were not welcomed at the bedside.

We do not have beds for children. We do not even have comfortable chairs for the caregivers who have to sit for days and weeks by their side.

I have seen mothers, grandmothers, fathers, uncles, aunties, sit upright in these plastic chairs throughout the night.

Why? Because the alternative is the floor,” she said.

Prof. Segbefia said with the 100 X 100 campaign, they were determined to change that narrative and added that the campaign was their way of speaking on behalf of children. 

She appealed to all to make contributions towards the campaign since it would put life-saving equipment directly in the hands of healthcare workers.

She expressed the hope to raise GH¢10 million by the end of this year from the campaign.

Describing KBTH as a special institution, Mr Yamson said many children who were born there had little or no hope of survival but for the dedication of its staff, including doctors and nurses, whose unwavering commitment ensured they survived.

Commending staff of the department for going out of their way to launch the campaign, he appealed to corporate institutions and well-meaning personalities to support the care of children through the campaign.

The Chief Executive Officer of KBTH, Dr Yakubu Seidu Adam, called on Ghanaians to support the campaign, assuring donors and stakeholders that robust governance and accountability mechanisms had been put in place to ensure that every contribution was utilised solely for its intended purpose.