Mampong-Akwapim(E/R), Sep 21, GNA - Cocobod and a consortium of banks on Tuesday donated two boreholes, anaesthetic machine and patient monitoring equipment valued at GH¢87,500 to the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital.

The consortium of banks, led by Standard Bank, paid 50 percent of the cost while Cocobod bore the remaining half. The donation comes ahead of the signing of a $1.5 billion cocoa financing facility on Wednesday arranged by the banks for cocoa purchases during 2010/11 season.

Dr Yaw Adu-Ampomah, the Deputy Chief Executive Agronomy and Quality Control Cocobod, said the contribution was a token by the board and partners to help support the hospital in quality health delivery. Mr Alhassan Andani, the Managing Director of Stanbic Bank Ghana, said the help was to alleviate some of the problems being faced by the hospital in the delivery of service to the community. "Cocoa is a strategic economic commodity for Ghana. It is therefore necessary for us as a bank to promote and enhance the industry and we are happy to do this," he said. Dr Joseph Larbi Opare, the District Director of Health Services, said the anaesthetic machine was coming in at an opportune time since three out of the four had broken down, burdening the hospital administration in carrying out operations.

He appealed to other institutions and groups to assist the hospital by helping secure laundry machines, refrigerators for the mortuary, adoption of wards and construction of a speed ramp in front of the hospital. The Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital was built in February 1961 in honour of the man who brought cocoa from Fernando Po to Ghana.