The pediatric department of St. Patrick's Hospital includes a Newborn Unit with 34 cots and a pediatric ward with 38 beds, supported by a dedicated team of 28 nurses and midwives and 5 doctors. Overall work is supervised by the pediatricians who also run specialist clinics such as the pediatric sickle cell and pediatric diabetes clinics, among others. Within the course of the year, an average of 3 - 4 physician assistant interns and students per cycle (from training schools within the region and beyond) join the team periodically for their clinical rotations. 

In 2024, during the annual conference of the German Society for Tropical Pediatrics (GTP), Dr. Isabel Roschatt and Prof. Nikolaus Haas met Dr. Dorcas Naa Dedei Aryeetey, a pediatrician at St. Patrick’s Hospital. Their exchange of first-hand experiences from the NICU and about current challenges in neonatal care in Ghana sparked an ongoing dialogue, which continued beyond the conference.  Building on this connection, the idea of practical support through mates4health gradually began to take shape.

Advocacy around neonatal jaundice is not new at St. Patrick´s. For years, the hospital´s Newborn Unit staff has actively participated in Ghana´s Neonatal Jaundice Awareness Month, organized annually by the Pediatric Society of Ghana (PSG), educating health workers and communities about the importance of early diagnosis and timely referral. In May 2025, under the theme “From Awareness to Action: Promoting Timely Diagnosis and Treatment for All Jaundiced Newborns Across Ghana,” the hospital once again reached out to primary facilities, trained nurses and midwives. But while knowledge grew, the equipment crisis remained stark: four aging, low-irradiance machines had to cover hundreds of jaundiced newborns each month. The team needed more than awareness — they needed action.