When 32-year-old Zainab Issah found out she was pregnant in March, she never thought of carrying her fourth baby beyond the usual nine months.

After carrying her pregnancy for ten months and one week amid fears of stillbirth, the native of Aboaso in the Ashanti Region delivered a newborn boy in the 43rd week of expectancy.

However, post-term baby complications left the baby with a yellowish tinge to his skin, requiring close monitoring in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Asante Akim Central Municipal Hospital in Konongo.

As Zainab sat on her bed in the maternity ward of the hospital, she looked exhausted, confirming that she never imagined that the joy of her fourth baby would quickly become financial distress.

“I didn’t know my pregnancy complications would pile my medical debt like this. My husband and I are always praying that my baby’s health improves quickly so the medical bills don’t keep mounting,” she said.

Zainab’s frustration switched to instant relief when she was informed of being part of 48 beneficiaries selected by the hospital within the middle belt of the country for Telecel Ghana Foundation’s Homecoming initiative, a health intervention programme that pays the bills of recovered but financially stranded patients.

“Wow, I am very happy and excited about being discharged and the clearing of all our medical debts. Thank you and God bless your network,” she said, smiling as she received her send-off care package from the Telecel Foundation team. “Now, I can go home.”

Across four hospitals in the middle belt of the country: the Asante Akim Central Municipal Hospital, Juaso Government Hospital, the Kukuom District Hospital, and Essam Government Hospital, a total of 48 people were discharged. This brings the national total of discharged patients to 173 across nine hospitals since the launch of Homecoming 2025 in November, with the last round of discharges planned within the Southern Belt.

Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications at Telecel Ghana, said the purpose of Homecoming is to reach those most in need and detained in government health facilities due to debts.

“Homecoming ensures no one remains stuck in a hospital bed because of financial difficulty. It is about restoring human dignity, giving hope, and ensuring that hospitals can continue focusing on saving lives.”

Beyond reuniting relieved patients with their families, Telecel Foundation donated essential hospital supplies, including toiletries, bed sheets, examination gloves, and sanitisers, to the beneficiary public hospitals.

Francis Boadu, the Administrator of the Asante Akim Central Municipal Hospital, a Eurojet-constructed facility, said Homecoming is a vital release valve for a health system under financial pressure.

“This initiative has helped patients who genuinely couldn’t settle their bills. As a hospital, we cannot deny people healthcare because they can’t pay, but when bills remain unpaid, it becomes a burden on the institution. Telecel Homecoming is doing well to ease that pressure and allows us to keep providing quality care,” he said.

Boadu also added that more specialist doctors and medical officers are needed to improve healthcare delivery to residents of Konongo and surrounding towns.

Telecel Homecoming, an annual initiative in its fourteenth year, is organised by the Telecel Ghana Foundation with implementation support from the Medical Reformist, a non-profit focused on equitable health care and social development, with the aim of discharging insolvent patients from government hospitals across the three regional zones.

Telecel Homecoming covers general admission costs, maternity support, laboratory fees, and medication expenses, and provides care packages for discharged beneficiaries.