The money was proceeds from cash donations received from sympathisers at his mother’s funeral.

Presenting the cheque to officials of the Centre at his residence, President Mahama hoped it would offer a lease of life to needy people suffering from heart ailments.

He urged the management of the Centre to use the money to support the surgery of needy patients, especially children with hole-in-heart conditions.

President Mahama explained that the family received a total of GH¢280,000 and UT Bank topped it up with GHc20,000.

“He thanked all the donors for their show of love and support, saying, “as we announced at the funeral, we want to also use it to offer a lifeline to others.”

Dr. Frank Serebour, Director of the Centre, received the cheque, and expressed appreciation to the President and his family for the gesture, which he described as an “overwhelming support”.

He said; “We find it touching that in your time of grief, the family thought of the Centre and needy heart patients”.

According to him, the increasing demand for treatment for heart defects posed a challenge to the Centre which did not have adequate resources to meet the demand to provide the needed service.

He said one child out of every 100 births had a heart defect, resulting in about 7,000 children with hole-in-heart and other heart defects annually.

“It is a big problem,” he said, but was confident that the government would continue to provide the needed assistance.
He thanked the President for his keen interest in the work of the Centre, and appealed for his intervention towards the establishment of a second Cardiothoracic Centre in Tamale to serve the northern part of the country.

The final funeral rites for President Mahama’s mother, the late Hajia Abiba Nnaba, were held at the forecourt of the State House in Accra on August 1.

By Edmund Mingle