Staff of Stanbic Bank kick against stigmatization of covid-19 survivor

Staff of the Wealth and Investment of Stanbic Bank Ghana on Monday, April 20 donated assorted food items and an unspecified amount to Frederick Drah, an individual who recently recovered from COVID-19.

Frederick Drah is one of the few COVID-19 survivors who have decided to publicly share his experience as a way of sensitizing the public about the dangers of the novel coronavirus.

His decision to come public, however noble, has resulted in the stigmatization of he and his family in a way that is affecting their livelihoods. Neighbors shun their company and people refuse to sell food and other items to them because of the stigma associated with the virus.

When the staff heard the unfortunate story of Frederick, they decided to reach out to him not only to support the family but to also draw the public’s attention to the dangers of stigmatizing people who have recovered from the novel coronavirus COVID-19.

Speaking after the donation, Head of Wealth, West Africa, Benjamin Mensah, said individuals like Frederick Drah must be commended for sacrificing their privacy so other people can learn from their experience in battling the disease.

“It is unfortunate that our society would stigmatize people like Frederick. We should rather be commending them for sacrificing their privacy for the public good in sharing their experience so all of us can learn from it. That is why we are here to show support and also signal to Ghanaians that stigmatization should not be encouraged. If we stigmatize victims of the disease, that may force those who contract the disease into hiding their status and our national fight would be hampered, which is even more dangerous”, Mr. Mensah said.

He presented a MoneyWallet multicurrency card loaded with an undisclosed amount of money to the family to get them back on their feet.

Mr. Mensah further encouraged Ghanaians to observe the social distancing protocols and wear face masks any time they are in public to reduce their risks of infection. Stanbic Bank has remained committed in its support of the fight against COVID-19 in Ghana. The bank recently announced the commitment of GH1.3 million to support ongoing national efforts aimed at containing the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.