Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan Constituency and Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Joe Ghartey, has led the GRA to donate to victims of the Egyiresia premix fuel explosion.
The GRA under the leadership of Ghartey donated an amount of Ghc 100,000 to support the victims.
Ghartey and senior officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority led by the Commissioner of Customs, Brigadier General Zibrim Bawa Ayorrogo, visited the community in Essikado in the Western Region to make the donation.
A short ceremony was held at the Palace of Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Paramount Chief of the Essikadu Traditional Area where Commissioner of Customs Division, Brigadier General Zibrim Bawa Ayorrogo handed the money to the victims.
The amount is to help support the medical bills of the victims.
In a brief remark to make the donation, Hon. Ghartey highlighted the cost involved in getting the affected victims out of their woes, calling on other individuals and organizations to come on board and support the victims.
Ghartey said: To manage a burn victim involves a lot of money, a medical officer told me it even costs more than dialysis. What some of us are trying to do is to rally support for the families. We have already rallied fifty thousand from Amandi, we have also given out our own money, and today, the Ghana Revenue Authority has brought GHC100,000. We are also here to strengthen and commiserate with victims and their families. People should not think this is a lot of money because taking care of the victims involves a lot. We have nine of the victims who are not out of the woods, so we still need more contributions to support the victims."
Nana Kobina Nketsia V was appreciative of the gesture. He implored officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority to use their uniforms to defend the country.
Three more persons aged 55, 24, and 14 years, among some sixteen persons caught up in the premix fuel explosion, have, succumbed to their injuries, making the number of deaths in the disaster six.
Daniela Cornelius, 14, who was receiving treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is reported to have died in the early hours of Wednesday, June 5th, 2024.
The other two, Nurideen Morrison, 24, and Kojo Egyir, 55 are said to have died at separate locations on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
Already, Ghartey, a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice has made personal donations in support of the fire victims. A couple of days ago, he visited some victims of the fire incident who were on admission at the Burns Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Aside from his personal contributions to support the community in its trying time, Ghartey successfully solicited for funds from STL Amandi Foundation to support the victims of the Essikado premix fuel explosion.
It would be recalled that on Friday, May 24, 2024, Hon. Ghartey and NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Essikado Ketan Constituency, Charles Bissue, led representatives of STL Amandi Foundation to present an amount of Ghc 50,000 to the Chief of Ngersia, Nana Dokoa Agyeman III at Effia Nkwanta Hospital. The chief received the money on behalf of the victims and thanked the Foundation for the support.
