PThe management of Peace and Love hospitals (PLHs) in Accra and Kumasi on Wednesday pledged to provide cutting edge health care to its clients.

Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, the Chief Executive Officer of the hospitals, who made the pledge, said: “We will not shirk our responsibility in providing cutting edge health care in our hospitals.

“This is a pledge we won’t renege on as we strive on daily basis to provide quality health care while reaching out to the needy in society with free quality drugs and supplies.

“This is a practice reflective in our free countrywide screening and outreach programmes designed to significantly reduce the high incidence of mortality and morbidity of breast cancer among our women.”

Dr Wiafe-Addai is a Breast Cancer Specialist, Surgeon, Founder and President of Breast Care International (BCI), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) dedicated to the establishment of breast cancer awareness, screening and treatment throughout the country.

Dr Wiafe-Addai made the pledge when she presented 7,680 bottles of psychiatric drug; Risperdal for Schizophrenia and Bipolar disease to 16 institutions in the country.

They are Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Tamale General Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tafo Government Hospital, Asante-Mampong Municipal Hospital, New Edubiase Government Hospital and Konongo-Odumasi Government Hospital.

The rest are Ejisu Government Hospital, Asante-Bekwai Municipal Hospital, Juaben Government Hospital, Saint Martin’s Catholic Hospital, Ejura Government Hospital, Bolgatanga Regional Hospital and Willingway Foundation.

The drugs were donated by Direct Relief, a US-based NGO that provides medicines to over 70 countries, and Johnson and Johnson, also a US-based global pharmaceutical and medical products corporation,that has been generous to BCI and its humanitarian programmes.

Dr Wiafe-Addai noted that the ever increasing cost of access to health care delivery had given rise to self-medication with individuals with no psychiatric training often exploiting the situation with counterfeit therapies for the unsuspecting public, sometimes resulting in needless serious injuries or in some cases fatalities.

She urged the beneficiary institutions to provide the medicines to its underserved mental health patients without charge and gave the assurance that there would be more to ensure a sustainable treatment plan for them.

Ms Priscilla Owusu-Sekyere, the Country Manager of Johnson and Johnson Ghana, emphasised management’s passion for changing lives of patients with mental health disease by making accessible and affordable highly efficacious products in a sustainable manner.

“We want these patients to be incorporated back into the society, back with their families and less dependent on family members through strong partnerships such as with BCI and Direct Relief,” she said.

Mr Emmanuel Bortey, the Pharmacist of Accra Psychiatric Hospital, who received the drugs on behalf of the beneficiary institutions, commended the management of PLHs and BCI for the sustained support.

He gave the assurance that the drugs would make a significant impact on health care delivery in their respective facilities and expressed appreciation to the donors.