Volunteers from Austria return again for Annual Surgical and Medical Mission to Ghana
Since 2012, Virtue Foundation has been organizing annual Missions to Ghana in hopes to address the health disparities that exist, especially in the Northern Regions. As part of the annual Surgical and Medical Mission to Ghana, groups of healthcare volunteers aim to provide high-level, specialized care to those in underserved communities and also teach local medical providers how to continue to provide this care once the Virtue Foundation teams have gone. Over the years, this training of local staff and transfer of knowledge has greatly increased the baseline level of care in many of the areas the Foundation works.
This year, the 2019 Virtue Foundation Mission team was comprised of an OB/GYN surgeon, a pediatric surgeon, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, two anesthesiologists and intensive care specialists, and a physiotherapist. From October 5th to October 12th, 2019, this team worked tirelessly to provide medical and surgical services to many deserving patients.
The Mission started in Tumu District Hospital, East Sissala District where Virtue Foundation has a longstanding history of work and partnership. Here, the volunteer team consulted with patients from the Tumu community, and many communities nearby. Notably, the team was able to travel to nearby Wellemebelle Health Center and conduct surgery, which marks the first time this center has officially been used as a surgical center.
After several days working and operating in the North, the team returned to Accra, to work at Greater Accra Regional Hospital, where the teams partnered with the departments of their respective specialties. Each volunteer surgeon operated or assisted on advanced cases during their stay, laying groundwork for a partnership that will extend into next year and beyond.