April 4 is Arizona Gives Day! This year, Project C.U.R.E. is working to achieve a special goal for this milestone: to raise funds to provide medical equipment and supplies to Asamang Hospital in Ghana.
In 1983, when access to healthcare in Ghana was difficult to obtain, a local citizen in Asamang offered his late mother’s funeral donation as seed money to build a hospital so that his people could access healthcare. He did this for one reason: his mother died while traveling miles to seek for treatment in another town. At that moment he was just trying to do something to honor his mother’s memory. The impact of planting that small seed resulted in saving more lives.
Asamang is a mission-based primary hospital located in the Ashanti region of Ghana that has been serving patients for 35 years. The facility serves an immediate and remote catchment population of over 300,000, each year serving 60,000 outpatient visitors, celebrating 1,000 baby deliveries, and conducting 2,000 surgeries. The facility is the referral center for over 13 hospitals and clinics, provides basic and advanced health services, and is a training center for medical doctors, physician assistants, nurses, and midwives.
The facility provides free medical and surgical services through its flagship program, Ghana Missions, for the aged and vulnerable. These are all specialized services that are often inaccessible due to financial constraints and a lack of skilled staff. This program has marked the following accomplishments:
- 1,000 patients have had their sight restored through cataract removal surgeries.
- Over 2,000 people have been assisted with reading glasses.
- Approximately 3,500 people have been screened and managed for hypertension and diabetes.
- 350 people have also benefited from plastic reconstructive surgeries within two years of its addition to the mission package.
- 140 dental procedures were done last year.
“I would have been blind by now, if not for the Ghana Missions program by Asamang Hospital” ~An Asamang Hospital patient
And what’s most impressive is that they’ve made this impact while working with improvised technological mechanisms and outdated medical equipment. Dr. Nana Dwomoh, a U.S.-based team member of United Service to Africa, noted the immensity of the work done under such harsh working conditions. He referred to the team as ‘magicians’ because despite the dilapidated patient beds and outdated monitors, and managing with no X-ray technology or standard anesthesia capabilities, they were still able to provide the most essential care to those in the community.
Project C.U.R.E. is poised to meet this facility’s needs by providing donated medical supplies and equipment that could further impact the lives of those who depend on this clinic for their care. Raising $25,000 would fund the entire transport of a 40-foot cargo container filled with supplies that could change the lives of those working in and seeking care from this clinic.
Visit https://www.azgives.org/projectcure to contribute today.
