January to April 2018 Newsletter

January to April, 2018

Dear Partners in Ministry,

Greetings of love, hope and courage to you from the Ganta United Methodist Hospital family in Liberia, West Africa.  We remain encouraged by your support of our moral mandate to provide affordable, but quality, diversified medical care to subsistence farming families.

My name is Allen Zomonway and I am serving as Hospital Administrator, replacing Patrick Mantor who retired in February 2018.  My professional nursing/administrative experience spans over 20 years; with most of that service at Ganta Hospital.  I am honored to lead a team of committed staff who are willing to work towards realizing our collective vision:  To have a have a spirit-filled, clean and safe healthcare setting where services are provided by trained and compassionate professionals.  We realize our fees should always be affordable to the public we serve.  But, at the same time, we know we must seek creative and sustainable ways to mitigate our budget shortfall.  We are thankful for reliable partners that walk alongside us in our health service provision journey.

Community-based health care is vital to establishing vibrant, healthy communities.  By partnering with Community Health Volunteers located among our catchment communities, our hospital Community-Based Health Care Unit covers 200+ communities in providing general health education with special focus on maternal child health.   Improving maternal-child health is a major emphasis among our national health care goals. Due to Liberia’s low literacy rate, many health care myths exists among communities and our ongoing outreach efforts help to dispel these myths.

Kou Noweh’s Story

My name is Kou Noweh and I am from the town of Whiepa. I am sixteen years old and was a sixth-grade student at the Whiepa Community School in the 6^th grade when my mother tied a thin rope around my waist.  She told me if I wear the rope, I will not get pregnant. So, I kept it on at all times. In Liberia, if a girl becomes pregnant, she is not allowed to continue in “day” school.  She must go to a night or afternoon school.  Wheipa does not have an afternoon or night school, so, my mother wanted to be sure I would be able to complete my education.  Unfortunately, one day I discovered that I was pregnant and as my stomach grew, I was told that I could no longer sit in class.  My mother and I were surprised because the rope was still on my waist! When the pregnancy was five months I became very sick and was taken to Ganta Hospital where I visited the prenatal clinic. I began to visit the prenatal clinic regularly and as my baby grew, I was told my baby was not lying in a normal position.  The midwife gave me some daily exercises to do so the baby will get in a correct position.  She also told me to be sure to stay close to the hospital during my last month so that I could quickly go for safe delivery.  I was scared to tell my midwife that I did not have money to pay for the prenatal care and delivery but she encouraged me that I should not stay away because of me not being able to pay.  Now I have a healthy baby boy and I am thankful to the Ganta Hospital family for everything they did for me.   I learned many things: putting a rope on the waist is not a reliable method of family planning; bringing a child into the world comes with many responsibilities; and most of all, make sure you stay focused on staying in school to improve your future success.  Now, when I see the Ganta Hospital Primary Healthcare Team in our town, I am one of the first to attend their discussions and to also encourage my friends (both boys and girls) to attend the health talks.

Wheelchairs for People with Mobility Challenges

General Board of Global Ministries Global Health Unit and Free Wheelchair Mission supported the receipt and distribution of 520 wheelchairs among our catchment communities.  A few of them remained at the hospital for conveyance of patients.   These wheelchairs, donated by Free Wheelchair Mission, are designed for durability in rugged terrain and to fit the physical structure and the particular physical condition of the identified recipient.

Yei Bubu is a resident of Mongbain. She has two boys.  She was born about 45 years ago in this community and developed flaccid paralysis at age 6. In Liberia, persons with disabilities are looked upon with pity and oftentimes not seen as responsible members of their communities.  Women with disabilities are often taken advantage of due to their culturally couched desire to marry and raise a family.  Yei explained that she has been “fooled” by two men who promised to marry her only to leave her pregnant and raising her two boys as a single mother.  Yei has always walked with a set of crutches.  She explained the number of crutches she has worn out over the decades and at times, she was unable to acquire crutches and had to make do with crutches crudely made out of sticks.  The crutches did not give Yei the balance she needed to move with the kind of alignment that would not compromise her future gait and overall health.  Yei told us “I find it difficult to do normal duties because of the slow pace at which I can struggle to walk with these crutches”.   With the wheelchair, Yei can now move much faster to seek food for herself and her children.  She is still dependent upon handouts for now, but, she looks forward to a future where, with her improved mobility, she will be able to manage a petty market and live off the profit.  She looks forward to a future where she can be hired to work and earn a living wage.  For now, she is just thankful for the wonderful gift of improved mobility!!

Global Health Grants Comes to the “Rescue”

We began this newsletter by celebrating our moral mandate to provide quality, but affordable, healthcare.  Our combined partner support makes this possible.  We desire to provide a safe physical space that lends itself to proper sanitation and hygiene protocols.  We desire to offer a clean, inviting “atmosphere” that promotes physical and spiritual healing for our clients.  In spite of our attention to patient care, our major gap was the very building that we were operating out of- a 60+-year-old structure that did not meet present-day building codes and space for our growing population!   A huge part of providing quality healthcare is ensuring the physical space is safe and lends itself to proper ventilation, lighting, sanitation and hygiene protocols.  Our budget could not address the massive building renovation and expansion needs. We were literally rescued by a Global Health Health Strengthening Support grant that enabled the following first phase of our building renovation need: renovation of prenatal clinic; expansion of kitchen and laundry units; renovation of operating room and central supply room; renovation of obstetric ward; expansion and renovation of drug room, and construction of a new power/generator house.   We are thankful to the General Board of Global Ministries’ Global Health Unit for continued grants support as well as administrative capacity building and moral support through frequent webinars and conference calls.

A Global Health Imagine No Malaria grant provided support for drugs, laboratory expansion, laboratory training, and laboratory equipment and supplies.   For the first time in the history of our hospital, we have separate diagnostic units to include:  chemistry, blood bank/cold chain, hematology, parasitology, and office space.  On the left, Mrs. Beatrice Gokpa, one of our long serving Laboratory Aides, happily working in one of the newly renovated laboratory. She says “the new work environment has increased my passion for my work.”

Our Achievements During the Quarter Under Review

• Maintained our salary payment as current. This is no small feat as we must pay staff according to our affordable service fee intake.
• Received Fredrick Boandolo from a six-month training in Xray diagnostics at Bangalore Hospital in India, supported by Peoria (Illinois) First UMC and First UMC, Mansfield, TX, and Dr. Cherian Thomas, retired Global Ministries Executive. Fredrick’s presence will enhance our ongoing diagnostic services.

• Strengthened our collaboration with the national Ministry of Health through the County Health Team.
• In collaboration with Bangalore Hospital, India, and with support from East Ohio Conference, endorsed a Pediatrics Observer Training for one of our doctors to observe pediatrics service delivery. Other than our Global Ministries assigned Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Willicor, we do not have specialized doctors on staff.  Continuing education opportunities in Liberia are limited.  Our doctors’ skills continue to be improved and mentored through the tutelage of Dr. Willicor and other training opportunities.
• Received our German partners’ team from Difaem, who is supporting our maternal child health, infection prevention and control and anti-microbial resistant efforts.
• Sightsavers supported renovation, drugs and supplies and staff training for our eye program.
• Brothers and Brothers Foundation support for medical supplies.
• World Diabetes Foundation support for Diabetes program.
• Participated in a well-attended and engaging Round Table Discussion with partners from North America, Africa, and Europe.
• Global Health supported building renovation, Imagine No Malaria and Health Strengthening Support grants activities are progressing very well.
• Maintained our service areas: Dental Clinic, Prenatal Clinic, HIV Aids Clinic, Diabetes Clinic, Eye Clinic, Mental Health Services, General Outpatient Clinic, Orthopedics Clinic, X-Ray Services, Laboratory, Ultrasonography, Comprehensive Primary Health Care Services (family planning, community outreach, water and sanitation, community based maternal child health, etc.), surgical services, emergency room and inpatient services.

INVITATION TO SUPPORT OUR SPECIAL APPEALS

1. PRAY for our country, Liberia, and the leadership. Pray for our staff collective synergy and commitment to do all we can to provide quality healthcare in the face of challenged resources.

2. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR INDIGENT PATIENT FUND:  In spite of our low and affordable fees for service, about 20% of our patients cannot fully pay; resulting in an annual loss of about $50,000.00 USD.  As a faith-based facility, and taking into consideration our moral and ethical mandate, we have no alternative but to offer them gratis or reduced payments.  This affects our ongoing Revolving Drug Fund (RDF) which is one of our means of sustaining the hospital by having essential drugs available at an affordable cost at all times.  We invite you to support our Indigent Patient Fund through contributions to our Ganta Hospital Advance Special #15080N.

3. FUEL FUND:  Though we are on the West Africa Power Pool electrical supply, there are times when that source of electricity is down.  We must then use our generators.  Fuel costs average $ 3.80 USD per gallon and it takes five gallons to operate our generators per hour.  Moreover, we offer ambulance services free of charge for emergency cases.  We must use our resources to fuel the ambulance.   We invite you to consider supporting our FUEL FUND through the Advance Special #15080N.

In closing, on behalf of the entire Ganta United Methodist Hospital Family, our supportive Bishop and conference leadership, our hospital board, our Board of Health, and our missionaries (Dr. Albert Willicor and Sister Mary Zigbuo Mantor),  I extend my warmest thanks and appreciation to all of you for your prayers and other supports.  We are praying for you!

Sincerely,

ALLEN

ALLEN S.D. ZOMONWAY, ADMINISTRATOR

ADMINISTRATOR

GANTA UNITED METHODIST HOSPITAL

Advance Number 15080N

Email:  allenphc2@gmail.com; allenphc@yahoo.com ; Phone:  +231 88643200