The staff of Stanbic Bank across the country have raised GHS80,000 to treat a severe heart problem of a four months old baby.

Abdul Yusuf Rauf, born on September 9, 2019, has been battling with congenital heart disease for some time now and needed at least GHS152,910 for surgery.

Mariah Suleiman, a loyal customer of the bank, requested for and obtained a loan of GHS30,000 which was payable within five years per her salary.

Although this amount was not enough, Mariah needed the funds to take of the baby’s treatment pre-surgery. 

Richard, a customer service officer at the Stanbic Bank branch, who started and completed the process with Mariah, made a routine follow up call to Mariah.

Coincidentally, Mariah was at the hospital with little Yusuf when Richard’s call went through.

After hearing about Yusuf’s condition from Mariah, the Stanbic Bank officer dashed straight to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital to visit the baby. There, Richard met a harsh truth: Mariah and her husband who are both nurses at the Tamale Teaching Hospital had spent all the family’s resources on their son’s severe medical condition.

They even needed more.

Richard heard their story and eventually understood that the initial loan of GHS30,000 that Mariah applied for was in fact too little to pay for Yusuf’s surgery that will cost more than  GHS150,000 in total. But for the process to start, the family needed at least 20% of the total cost or  GHS39,643.

According to Marketing and Communications Officer of the Stanbic Bank branch, Mawuko Afadzinu, Richard mobilised his fellow colleagues to raise funds to support baby Yusuf’s treatment.

Within three weeks, the Airport City team raised GHS80,000.

Although this will not cover the payment of the entire treatment, it is great support for little Yusuf, his parents admit.

Yusuf’s mother (C), Mariah Suleiman crying for joy, for relief and gratefulness for Stanbic Bank’s gesture

“We didn’t know there are people who care like this because we almost lost hope,” Mariah, Yusuf’s mother says.

“We would really like to thank them,” she added.

Mr Afadzinu praised Richard’s efforts and said Richard “saw beyond just a loan application and saw a human need.”

Yusuf’s parents are still appealing for support to cover the rest of their baby’s medical bills.