Over forty-five volunteers participated during the tenth International Healthcare Volunteers, (IHCV) medical mission to Ghana. 2011 IHCV medical mission was extremely successful. IHCV attended to approximately 850 patients and performed ninety-three major surgeries in eight working days in four towns in Ghana – Apam, Cape Coast, Kumasi, and Mampong.
Since the inception of IHCV in 2001, the organization has taken care of 9,500 patients and performed over five hundred major surgeries. IHCV continues its annual educational endeavors by providing continued medical education (CME) to healthcare providers. IHCV collaborated with the Ghana College of Physicians and surgeons to provide the annual CME program held at Accra this past August. IHCV provides community outreach through major support to orphanages in Cape Coast and Kumasi as well as providing Blood Pressure Screening in Cape Coast. Locally, IHCV supports the New Jersey Family Health Services – an organization located in Camden that supports single mothers and their children. The single mothers are taught various parental and job skills.
IHCV continues to maintain their sustainable healthcare programs. The Cervical Cancer Screening Program at Cape Coast and Kumasi has provided screening for cervical cancer as well as cervical cancer awareness prevention programming. HIV screening and education in Apam continues to thrive through innovative and culturally competent educational programs.
Along with providing necessary medical care, IHCV also brings cutting edge technology to Ghana. In 2006, IHCV performed the first Laparoscopic Ovarian Cystic Mass Removal at Cape Coast Regional Hospital. During the 2011 IHCV medical mission, marked another milestone with the first Laparoscopic Gall Bladder Removal performed at KNUST hospital in Kumasi. This event made national headlines in Ghana.
After ten years of patient care and CME programming, IHCV will begin to focus intensely on the education of the medical students and resident physicians in Ghana – the future. Starting in 2012, IHCV will be providing lecture series and didactics to the medical students at the University Of Cape Coast School Of Medical Sciences. IHCV also plans to play an essential role in the education of the resident physicians and nursing at the Regional Hospital in Cape Coast.
Overall, both IHCV and our Ghanaian colleagues benefits from the medical missions. As much as we provide the advanced medical care to patients, cutting edge technology, and education to healthcare providers, we also gain as much from our colleagues and patients in Ghana. These experiences are well narrated by our junior volunteers in their own words as follows:
IHCV Board of Directors
- Charletta Ayers, MD, Chairperson
- James Mensah, MA, Vice Chairman
- James Aikins, MD, Medical Director
- Ricardo Caraballo, MD, Deputy Medical Director
- Adam Holzberg, DO, Secretary
- George Hayford, Treasurer
- Victor Essien, JD
- Daniel Luchay
- Karen Luchay
- Bill Mason
- Patricia Mason
- Joanne Mazzarelli MD
- Felicity Polley, MA
- Kwame Polley, DSc, Eng
- Michelle Salvatore, MD
FUND-RAISING COMMITTEE
- Charletta Ayers Laura
- Bill Mason
- Patricia Mason
- Joanne Mazzarelli
- Felicity Polley
- Michelle Salvatore
- Brenna Wynne
2011 MISSION VOLUNTEERS
- Francisca Abanyie
- Jennifer Adu-Frimpong
- James K. Aikins III
- James Aikins, MD
- Elizabeth Aikins
- Diane Alpers
- Chika Anidi
- Ifeoma Anidi
- Brian Arslanian
- Laural Atabek
- Paris Atabek
- Umur Atabek
- Zoey Atabek
- Charletta Ayers
- Leah Baron
- Rosemary Benedette
- Duda Irina Bernescu
- Mindy Brittner
- Nicole M. Campbell
- Marian Charron
- Yvonne Cathleen Collins
- Azella Cosette Collins
- Katherine L. Duktor
- Patricia Gorman
- Marcia Hernandez
- Jennifer M. Howard
- Brian Kurtz
- Sarah Lachman
- Margaret Lee
- Melba Manuel
- Nancy Mayer
- Arnelle Midley
- Asaama Midley
- Enid Midley
- George Midley
- Kukuaa Midley
- Nabeth Midley
- Jessica Mitchell
- Christopher Alan Moore II
- Brady Mullin
- Emily Patridge
- Alexander Perry-Santangelo
- Robin Lynn Perry
- David Safran
- Jennifer Schuster
- Anthony Sisiann
- Wynston A. Stanback
- Renee Volny
- Wan-Ju Wu
For more information, please go to our website ihcv.org or Facebook ihcv