Chris Addo Sarkodie presenting the cheque to Dr Lawrence Sereboe
Awake mineral drinking water, a subsidiary of Kasapreko Company Limited, has donated an amount of GH¢75,000 to the Korle-Bu Cardiothoracic Centre in support of heart surgeries at the facility.
The donation, made under the ‘One4Life’ campaign of the company, was in commemoration of the World Heart Day themed ‘Share The Power’, which was marked on Friday.
World Heart Day is part of an international campaign to spread awareness about heart disease and stroke prevention.
Leading to the day, Awake Water launched a campaign dubbed ‘Awake Your Heart’, which seeks to share knowledge and steps needed to make the heart stay healthy and also take control of the most important organ of the body.
“Our campaign aims at educating the public on the simple lifestyle changes that will help one reduce risk for heart disease. It is estimated that the probability of dying as a result of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases for people between the ages of 30 and 70 is 20 percent in Ghana,” the Director of Water & Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs) at Kasapreko Company Limited, Eunice Adjei Bonsu, stated.
Kasapreko Brand Manager for Soft Drinks & Water, Chris Addo Sarkodie, revealed that “the initiative is at the heart of the company and the Group Chairman, Dr Kwabena Adjei.”
He further explained that so far about 14 people have benefited from the donations at the facility, indicating that their choice of KBTH was based on the fact that of the huge numbers that come for heart treatment at the facility, most people cannot afford the cost of treatment.
Mr Sarkodie added, “Once you have reported your case to Korle-Bu and they obviously go through your record and give you a bill and you know you are not able to pay for the bill they are giving you, that is where the process starts from,” he said.
Dr Lawrence Sereboe, Head of the Cardio Centre, before receiving the cheque on behalf of the centre, touched on the issue of how to keep a good and healthy heart.
He said the three ways step which include fuelling, moving and loving ones heart are key to ensuring healthy hearts.
“Eating and drinking well gives your heart the fuel it needs for you to live your life, staying active can help you reduce your risk of heart diseases and feel great and stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your heart,” he said.
Dr Sereboe, therefore, expressed his appreciation to Awake water for sustaining their commitment to the centre, adding that a lot more people need support for heart surgeries to improve their living condition.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri