Telecel Homecoming Helps 48 Patients in Ghana's Middle Belt Hospitals

A mother from Aboaso in the Ashanti Region has expressed relief after benefiting from Telecel Ghana Foundation’s Homecoming initiative. Zainab Issah, 32, delivered her fourth child after a pregnancy lasting ten months and one week at the Asante Akim Central Municipal Hospital in Konongo.

The newborn required care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) due to post-term complications, leaving Ms. Issah and her husband facing mounting medical bills. “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 shared, visibly exhausted.

However, their worries were eased when they were informed they were among 48 patients discharged from four hospitals in the middle belt – Asante Akim Central Municipal Hospital, Juaso Government Hospital, Kukuom District Hospital, and Essam Government Hospital – thanks to the Telecel Ghana Foundation’s intervention.

“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,” Ms. Issah said gratefully, receiving a care package from the Foundation.

The discharges bring the national total to 173 patients released from hospitals since the launch of Homecoming 2025 in November. The final phase of the initiative is planned for the Southern Belt.

Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications at Telecel Ghana, explained that Homecoming aims to support vulnerable patients detained due to financial constraints. “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,” she stated.

In addition to settling patient debts, the Telecel Foundation also donated essential supplies – including toiletries, bed sheets, examination gloves, and sanitisers – to the beneficiary hospitals.

Francis Boadu, Administrator of the Asante Akim Central Municipal Hospital, lauded the initiative as a crucial support for the healthcare system. “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.

Mr. Boadu also appealed for more specialist doctors and medical officers to enhance healthcare delivery in Konongo and surrounding communities. The Telecel Homecoming initiative, now in its fourteenth year, is implemented in collaboration with the Medical Reformist to support insolvent patients across the country.

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