From October 22nd to October 29th, 2018, a team of Virtue Foundation volunteers returned to Ghana for its annual Surgical and Medical Mission to Ghana. This year’s mission team comprised of a variety of medical specialists, including a plastic/reconstructive surgeon, OB/GYN surgeon, general surgeon, anesthesiologist, and intensive care nurse. This diverse team hit the ground running, and had one of the busiest, most impactful interventions to date!

For the first time, the Virtue Foundation performed surgeries and screenings in Upper West Regional Hospital, Wa, the capital of the Upper West Region. As the main referring facility for the most complex surgical cases in the region, Virtue Foundation was able to assist and train local staff in advanced procedures, such as skin grafts resulting from burn injuries. The collaboration from local staff was very fruitful, and Virtue Foundation hopes to continue growing this partnership into 2019 and beyond.

After working in Wa for several days, the volunteer team traveled further north into the Upper West Region to continue its work in Tumu District Hospital, East Sissala District. Virtue Foundation has been working in Tumu for many years, helping hundreds of people, especially women, in a variety of medical and surgical specialties. This year, the medical volunteers worked alongside local staff to screen and operate patients from the local community with a variety of ailments including burn injuries, hernias, lipomas and more.

The team returned to Accra having completed nearly 30 complex cases, and carrying out several lectures and didactic teaching sessions, with plans to return in 2019 and continue to build off of the successes and impact of this year’s Mission!

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