The initiative, implemented under the theme, ‘Expanding Equitable Health for Every Community,’ formed part of MTN Ghana's 30th anniversary celebrations and ended with a handover ceremony at Achimota Hospital in Accra.

Speaking at the event, MTN Ghana's Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, Madam Adwoa Wiafe, said that the programme was designed to respond directly to the country's persistent "no-bed syndrome" while demonstrating the company's commitment to improving lives through practical community interventions.

She noted that MTN had initially targeted the refurbishment of 3,000 hospital beds and accessories but exceeded that goal through the commitment of staff volunteers and partners.

"We have today 3,888 beds and accessories. Seven health facilities have benefited from this initiative," she said.

The beneficiary facilities include Achimota Hospital, Maamobi General Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Eastern Regional Hospital, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital.

Ms. Wiafe explained that the project combined healthcare support with environmental sustainability by repairing equipment that would otherwise have been discarded.

She said staff volunteers spent 21 days identifying broken hospital beds, bedside cabinets, drip stands, patient chairs and other equipment before refurbishing and returning them to the facilities for immediate use.

"It was also part of our sustainability agenda. We wanted to make sure that if there is a way to repair broken equipment instead of throwing it away, we do so to conserve resources and protect our environment," she noted.

Beyond refurbishing hospital equipment, she said MTN expanded the programme to promote preventive healthcare in schools by installing 30 handwashing facilities across 16 schools in all 16 regions, reaching more than 15,000 students with hygiene education.

The company also organised community health outreaches in 16 communities, reaching more than 1,400 people with health screening and education.

Through a partnership with DOSH Health Insurance, 70 patients who were unable to settle their hospital bills received financial assistance to return home, while each beneficiary also received an annual health insurance package valued at GH¢9,000 for future medical care.

Ms. Wiafe said that the success of the initiative demonstrated what organisations could achieve when they treated their social commitments with the same seriousness as their business operations.

"What we maintain is just as important as what we give," she said, urging beneficiary hospitals to preserve the refurbished equipment to ensure long-term impact.

Medical Superintendent of Achimota Hospital, Dr. Jacqueline Anita Sowah, described the intervention as timely, noting that the refurbished equipment would improve patient comfort and strengthen service delivery amid growing demand for healthcare.

She said that Achimota Hospital alone recorded 107,673 outpatient visits, 5,931 admissions, more than 14,500 antenatal attendances, 1,692 deliveries and over 14,000 child welfare visits during the past year, underscoring the need for continued investment in healthcare infrastructure.

Dr. Sowah noted that despite the improvements, the hospital still required support to establish a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), expand its theatre capacity, procure additional anaesthesia machines and patient monitors, and rehabilitate access roads to the facility.

She appealed to government, development partners, corporate organisations and philanthropists to continue investing in healthcare infrastructure to meet the increasing demand for quality services.

Founder and General Manager of Sika Pa Adwuma, which led the refurbishment works, said that the initiative created temporary employment for artisans while giving damaged medical equipment a second life.

He noted that teams of skilled artisans worked alongside MTN staff across the seven hospitals throughout the 21-day exercise to restore beds, furniture and other hospital accessories for continued use.

Head of Sales and Marketing at DOSH Health Insurance, Belinda Amoo, said that the company's GH¢1 million cover package ensured that financially vulnerable patients were able to settle their medical bills while also receiving health insurance cover for subsequent hospital visits within a year.

The 21 Days of Y’ello Care programme is MTN's flagship employee volunteerism initiative, which mobilises staff across the country every June to undertake community development projects aimed at creating sustainable social impact.