Med Ship to Ghana

AIDS/HIV, malaria, dysentery, and obstetrics are critical health issues facing rural Ghana. The Sodoke Clinic and its facility for orphans of AIDS is a tiny but vital plug in a crumbling dam holding back even more devastating epidemics all along Africa’s West Coast. With a small initial investment, the aid organization Solace International has an action plan to secure enough medical supplies and staff, to transform a rural clinic into a critical care and neo-natal facility with a self-sustaining income.

$30,000 Initial Funding
Strong strategy to acquire $300,000 worth of medical equipment, supplies and drugs, transport the supplies to the Sodoke clinic in Ghana, and bring on board two doctors and a project manager qualified to see the clinic become a sustainable community health center.

Medical Shipment
A container with medical equipment, supplies and medication will be sent from the US. Initial funding includes costs for a campaign to acquire new or used equipment from hospitals and manufacturers – organized and collected with help from the New York-based AFYA foundation. The wish list for the clinic includes obstetric and lab equipment, ventilators, operating tables, and surgical instruments. Many of the supplies and medicines needed are either not available in the region or are wildly expensive.

Medical Staff
A campaign will be launched to recruit two to three doctors from U.S.A. and Australia. Expenses and a stipend will be offered, but more importantly, the six-month period will be an opportunity for medical staff to play a critical role in greatly expanding the capacity of a rural clinic. It is estimated the new staff will allow for the current daily patient capacity of eight to expand to 50.

Supplies for Orphans
AIDS has decimated the adult population in the area. The Sodoke campus houses 176 orphans. School supplies, bedding, mosquito nets, and other basic needs will be included in the container shipment.

Clinic Expansion
There is a crisis on the African continent in finding medical staff capable of treating health issues that are the most critical. As profits from the clinic allow more supplies and equipment to be purchased, there will be an increase the capacity of the clinic. The staff and equipment will allow the clinic to address issues with AIDS, malaria, and obstetrics that it currently cannot. No other medical facility within 50 km offers these services. Providing alternative locations for rural people seeking medical care in areas where roads and options for travel are extremely limited can often mean the difference between life and death.

Clinic Profitability
For the clinic to survive, it must operate as a business. Profits from the clinic – including a subsidy from the government – are projected to be around $12,000. Funds will be invested back into the clinic and also into an agriculture program designed to provide a complete diet for the orphans.

Local Jobs
Providing jobs to locals is an important part of maintaining goodwill in the community. There will be new positions opening as the facility expands: At least five people will be employed locally to meet the clinic's new operating capacity, and seven caregivers at the orphanage.