Ecobank Group Donates $500K to Construct Dialysis Centre
Having signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Access to Health Care of Togo and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pan-African banking group, Ecobank, will donate US$500,000 for the construction of a nephrology and dialysis centre at the University Hospital of Kara, according to a statement.
The World Health Organization, chronic kidney disease is a major health problem in many countries and causes a significant proportion of deaths. In Togo, the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital in Lomé is currently the only public hospital in Togo with a hemodialysis centre.
As it is limited to treating a maximum of 500 patients, it has a very lengthy waiting list. Renal failure accounts for 10% of its hospitalisations and 73% of its nephrology consultations.
Its location in Lomé makes access to emergency and regular treatment for renal failure very difficult for those who live in the Savanes, Kara and centre regions of Togo, as they face a journey of between 400 and 600 km to Lomé.
At the University Hospital of Kara, renal failure is the sixth largest cause of death with a mortality rate of 21.3%.
The Ecobank Group, through its Foundation, has committed to donating US$500,000 – the equivalent of more than CFA 300 million – to the Ministry of Health, in partnership with UNDP, towards the construction of a nephrology and dialysis unit at the University Hospital of Kara.
This is in addition to purchasing medical equipment, training the healthcare professionals, and supporting the functionality of the new unit. Speaking to the development, Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Group Ecobank Group reaffirmed Ecobank’s continued commitment to supporting the Togolese Government’s strengthening of health infrastructure.
“We are proud to help finance this new nephrology and dialysis centre at the University Hospital of Kara, and we thank our partners UNDP and the Ministry of Health for their support in making this project a reality. The new unit will provide patients suffering from renal failure with treatment that is life-changing and life-saving.”
Also, Mrs. Seynabou DIAW BA, UNDP Resident Representative, a.i. in Togo, said: “We must intensify actions to guarantee equitable access to quality essential social services for vulnerable populations.
“This is why we dare to believe that more resources will be mobilised from partners for coordinated and sustained support to the health sector so that we leave no one behind and for the well-being of the population.”
The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Health, in the presence of His Excellency Professor Moustapha Mijiyawa, Minister of Health of Togo, Mr. Jeremy Awori, Managing Director of the Ecobank Group and Mrs Seynabou DIAW BA, UNDP Resident Representative, a.i. in Togo. #Ecobank Group Donates $500K to Construct Dialysis Centre
