Newsletter: 2017 Annual Report

January 16, 2018

Dear Partners in Ministry,

We bring you greetings of fellowship from the Ganta United Methodist Hospital family in Liberia, West Africa. The year 2017 began with joy, but ended with heavy hearts and sad feelings. The volume of support received from our faithful partners generated excitement in our ministry. All this excitement continued until the fateful night of September 3, 2017 when our Indian Dentist, the late Dr. Shane Sam Mathew, lost his life in a tragic fire incident at his hospital residence. This unforgettable memory continues to haunt all those who came to know this lovable, respectful, good Christian at the Hospital and in Liberia at large. Notwithstanding, Dr. Mathew’s painful departure from us did not stop Jesus’ ministry that he was a part of.

TRANSITIONS

After heading the leadership team at Ganta Hospital as the administrator from May 2015 to January 15, 2018, I am announcing my retirement effective February 24, 2018. My heart is filled with gratitude for the high level of support I received from partners both locally and externally during my tenure of service at Ganta Hospital. As I exit, we have an equally capable successor, Mr. Allen Zomonway, who is not new to this Hospital. He was trained at the Winifred J. Harley Nursing School (affiliated with the hospital), obtained higher education at Africa University in Zimbabwe and served the hospital again as the Manager of our Community-based Primary Healthcare Program / Nehnwaa for many years.  Allen was appointed to the position of Health Coordinator at the Liberia Annual Conference / The United Methodist Church for nearly three years.  From now on, please direct all official communications to Allen Zomonway, allenphc2@gmail.com / allenphc@yahoo.com.

Pray with me as I enter this new stage in my life journey.  I aspire to continue to serve my church and humanity in a supportive role as I am called upon.

I will be accompanying my wife, Mary (Zigbuo) Mantor, as she itinerates this summer/early fall.  I am happy to visit with those who desire that I come to share about Ganta Hospital.

PROGRESS/ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2017

 With a sense of thankfulness, we submit to you the accounts of our stewardship in 2017 as follows:

• Staff salary maintained current;
• The Drug Revolving Fund Scheme remains functional;
• The debt burdens inherited from previous administration continue to be paid down;
• Maintained all internal and external partnerships and established new partnerships with Insulin For Life USA and Sight Savers International;
• The Dr. Albert G. Willicor Caretaker Center was dedicated on September 23, 2017.

Construction of the Caretaker Center was a project of The Ganta Hospital Workers Association who contributed portion of their salaries along with support from East Ohio Conference’s Nehemiah Mission and Friends of Liberia Organization. The Caretaker Center provides housing for caretakers of hospitalized patients who come from remote areas to seek the hospital’s services.

• Global Health grants provided $500,000.00 USD for the hospital’s renovation/expansion efforts to include: construction of a generator/powerhouse building, renovation and expansion of the drug warehouse, renovation of kitchen, laundry, prenatal clinic, surgical wing and maternity ward. The renovation works have begun and progressing well;
• Global Health’s Imagine No Malaria grant provided $50,000.00+ for renovation/expansion of laboratory and procurement of laboratory equipment;
• Sightsavers International provided a five-year impact grant totaling $301,166 for the revitalization of our comprehensive eye care services. The grant covers training of essential staff, building renovation and equipping and supplying the center;
• The hospital received its 2017 accreditation but scored 78% due to the present conditions of our Kitchen, Laboratory, Obstetric Ward, etc. Thank God the Global Health grants will address these gaps;
• We engaged and warmly received representation from our external partnerships per below:

1. East Ohio Conference sent a medical/church activity 13- member volunteer team who helped to train key staff and provide staffing support for our clinic activities;
2. Nelda Thomas, from Mississippi Conference, came to upgrade the skills of our orthopedic staff;
3. Ronda Cordill, Pacific Northwest Conference, came to assist us with training of multiple layers of hospital and community-based health care workers in our ongoing efforts to strengthen our Diabetes Clinic and our community-based World Diabetes Project;
4. Difaem, our German partner organization headed by its Director and Health Program Coordinator, sent a medical doctor and midwife to train key staff on the usage of ultrasound (and they also donated an ultrasound machine);
5. Rene Dupree of North Carolina Conference came to assist us with technical engineering advice and activities for a period of three months.
6. Florence Amadi of Curamericas Global came to assist us with community health training;
7. Cherian Thomas, a long-time friend and former staff of Global Ministries’ UMCOR Health, came on an observation visit and was instrumental in connecting us with a healthcare facility in India to provide training for our x-ray technician;
8. Bruce Mollan’s onsite observation and assessment visit connected us with organizations that donated medical supplies for our ongoing ministry.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT US (Advance Special Number 15080N)

1. Your prayers for our newly elected government.
2. We ask you to consider supporting our indigent patient care fund.
3. While many of our patients can afford to pay their total bill, some can only afford to pay only a portion (or none at all) of their bill and the hospital is left with no alternative but to waive the cost.
4. Please consider donations in kind or cash to enable us to receive or locally purchase examination gloves, sutures, adhesives tape, and gauze. Contributions towards these supplies help keep our charges affordable for the beneficiaries.
5. Support our missionaries: Mary (Randall Zigbuo) Mantor (#10721Z) and Albert Willicor (#15151Z).  Albert serves as our Chief Medical Officer and Mary serves as our Health Systems Strengthening Advisor.
6. Consider coming as a volunteer!

CHALLENGES / CONSTRAINTS

1. Our staff salary is not competitive enough to retain qualified personnel on staff for long.
2. Often, bills made for services for patient care are not always fully paid – thereby usually leading to our budget shortfall.
3. Ganta Hospital, as a referral health facility, is still lacking an Isolation Unit. This situation usually compromises our efforts to reduce cross-infection and to protect our patients and health workers in the events of reportable diseases.

Recommendations:

1. That the administration, through the UMC Board of Health, seeks support from Ministry of Health of Liberia to see reason to construct an Isolation Unit for this major medical referral center.

2. That the administration, through its Board of Health, seeks support from the Government of Liberia to increase the subsidy allotted to Ganta Hospital based on the hospital’s strategic location and its major role in the healthcare delivery efforts of Liberia. This will help to defray the revenue lost via waiving the bills for indigent care. This increase might also enable the management to consider raising the salary level of the staff.

Conclusion:

We are thankful for your prayers and support. We are strengthened by our wonderful Christ-driven networks of partnership with you. Those materials and cash donations help us fill our budget and resource shortfall gaps. As a result of your support, we are encouraged to continue to provide affordable, but quality healthcare. We are thankful to Bishop Samuel Quire for his supportive visits, ongoing advice, and other supports.

MAY GOD ALMIGHTY CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU.

2017 FINANCIAL REPORT