At least fourteen (14) patients detained at the Koforidua Regional Hospital for their inability to pay their medical bills have been bailed out by the 1984 year group of the Pope John Secondary School and Minor Seminary.

The patients include new mothers and their children and adults who have been treated but cannot settle their hospital bills.

A reproductive health promoter, Philip Mensah Boateng, who led the year group to present a cheque of GH¢23,000 said the gesture forms part of many humanitarian support to mark the 40th anniversary celebration of the year group.

According to him, his wife, Mrs. Cecilia Mensah Boateng, CEO of Unique Child Academy supported with an amount of Gh¢10,000 after the year group planning committee raised GH¢13,000.

"I woke up one dawn and thought that if we could add a humanitarian gesture to free people who are in bondage. So originally I spoke to the planning committee to give Gh¢ 10,000 for that but then when Mrs Cecilia Boateng Mensah, the Chief Executive of Unique Child Academy heard what I had proposed to the planning committee which they had accepted, she said this is a noble initiative so she will also support it to the tune of Gh¢10,000," he said.

The year group also donated packs of diapers to the hospital children's ward.

Boateng Mensah said; "I would say that it is also my birthday initiative because I celebrated my birthday this September."

"My wife was planning a party but said that no, my biggest birthday celebration should be giving people the opportunity to thank God, to praise God, to ease their pressure. As part of my year-long birthday celebration, I have also identified a very deprived community that effective January if God grants us the gift of life, I am going to provide a six-classroom block for them."

According to him, it was a pity that the patients should be in that situation in a country endowed with abundant resources.

"This is basically the way forward for me and what has happened here is a very big thing today because we're getting to people who ordinarily wouldn't know where to get help from. And the primary objective is to give people a reason to thank God," he explained.

A Senior Health Services Administrator of the hospital, Lebel Ayamdoo who led the hospital team to receive the items said the hospital did not in any way discriminate against patients who went for treatment and that all patients were treated equally.

According to him, the year group's resolve to settle the medical bills of the deprived has saved the hospital a lot of money.

"The continued stay of the discharged patients in the hospital had become an albatross on the neck of the facility. The hospital's social welfare department had to come in to critically identify patients who could not settle their medical bills to be assisted". He said