Rotary Hoppers Crossing recently completed an exciting project that will help provide a better standard of health care for hospitalized patients in three African countries – Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria. The project involved sending high-quality surgical instruments to health clinics and hospitals in the three countries.
The first step was to collect medical instruments made redundant from public hospitals in Victoria as part of the Health Department's regular replacement policy. The instruments were stored at Donations in Kind in Footscray until they could be transported to Africa.
The instruments include scissors, clamps, needle holders, and other assorted items which are in regular use in medical clinics and hospitals. They were transported to Africa as personal luggage by Rotarians who had attended the Rotary International convention in Melbourne, in a container destined for Ghana. Members of Wyndham Harbour, Werribee and Wyndham Rotary Clubs provided support by contacting visiting Rotarians at the convention.
In Africa, the shipments were transported by representatives from three local African Rotary clubs for distribution to a medical clinic or to a hospital in the recipient’s country. Hoppers Crossing Rotary also successfully organized a separate transfer of instruments by container to the Ring Road Central Club in Accra, Ghana.
Feedback for the project has been positive. President Komla Nyaletey from the Ring Road Central Club in Accra stated that staff from a medical clinic in the Brekusothe Eastern Region of Ghana were very grateful and appreciative of the donation. Correspondence received from Rotarian Ekele Ochiabuto also expressed appreciation for the medical instruments that were donated to the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahio, Nigeria.Rotary Nsangi, was actively involved in the transportation of medical instruments to the Kasanje and the Nakawuku Health Centres in Uganda. On their behalf, the President of the Rotary Nsangi, Kato Ssamba, expressed their gratitude for such a generous donation.
Dr George Dade, Rotary Hoppers Crossing International Chair, commented: “This was an ideal project for the Hoppers Crossing Club as it was low cost and had the potential to make a big difference to the health and well-being of residents in the three recipient countries”.
Given the success of this project, Rotary Hoppers Crossing has plans to transport additional instruments to other countries in Africa.
International Committee members involved in the project include: Aziz Arshad, Dr Bob Fairclough OAM, Dr George Dade, and Nik Tsardakis.