Church donates medical equipment to University of Ghana Hospital

Maternity patients and newborns in the Ayawaso Municipality of Ghana's Greater Accra region will benefit from improved medical care due to recent projects by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On November 7, 2024, Elder Adeyinka Ojediran, First Counselor of the Africa West Area Presidency, handed over church-funded renovations and new equipment for the Maternity Ward at the University of Ghana Hospital. The donation also included equipment for the University Service Public Health Unit.

Elder Adeyinka Ojediran and Elder Flint Mensah, Director of Temporal Affairs in the Africa West Area, represented The Church during the handover ceremony. The University of Ghana Hospital was established in 1957 to serve students, staff, and dependents but later extended its services to the community. The maternity ward was added in the 1960s and has faced increasing demand due to population growth, affecting care quality.

The obstetrics and gynecology department had concerns about not having an operating theatre for Caesarean sections and other procedures. Patients in labor were often wheeled across a parking lot to access the main operating theatre. Additionally, there was a lack of monitoring equipment leading to higher complication rates.

The Church responded to requests for help by funding a new maternity operating theatre and refurbishing existing facilities with new equipment for delivery suites, recovery wards, washrooms, consulting rooms, and nurses' stations.

The University's Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Centre also received aid from the Church. This center treats HIV patients but lacked necessary equipment despite progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission. It serves 40 children living with AIDS/HIV who need routine lab workups and nutritional supplements. The Church's donation supports these services.

Dr. Afua Asabea Amoabeng, head of the Public Health Department, expressed gratitude: "We cannot say a big thank you -- a thank you is not enough... God bless you and thank you very much."

Elder Ojediran explained that "Our actions reflect the universal mission of the Church... Our mandate, to love our neighbors as ourselves." He acknowledged gratitude for their contribution.

Afterward, hospital staff conducted a tour showcasing improvements made possible by The Church's donation.