MOTEC LIFE-UK | News - West-Herts and Motec meet Ghanaian Health Delegation

News

West-Herts / Motec meet Ghanaian Health Delegation and the (THET) Team, 22nd March, 2007

This meeting at the Post Graduate Centre, Hemel Hempstead General Hospital centred on health links between West Herts NHS Trust and Hospitals in Ghana. It was attended by three directors from the Ministry of Health (Ghana) led by Dr Edward Addai, Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. The Tropical Health and Educational Trust (THET) was represented by its founding President, Professor Eldryd Parry and Mr Ajoy Datta, whilst Professor Graham Ramsay, Medical Director and Mr Mark Jarvis, Secretary to the Chief Executive, attended on behalf of West Herts NHS Trust. Motec was represented by Mr Paul Ofori-Atta (President), Mr. Jonathan Beacon (Co-Patron- Orthopaedic Consultant), Mr Andrew Irwin (Member- Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon) and Mr Steve Townsend (Welfare Officer- Surgical Care Practitioner). Other invited members present were Mrs Kay Bowes (orthopaedic secretary), Mr. Howard Borkett-Jones (Consultant, Emergency Medicine), and the Local NHS Press Officer.

The meeting centred on close co-operation with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health regarding projects of mutual benefit. Professor Parry elaborated on the motivation that the Trust could obtain from such an association and the benefits to the local hospitals in terms of education, training, transfer of skills, capacity building and direct health care service to the patients. Earlier, Dr Addai gave a brief account of the health strategies in Ghana that are aimed at linking good health with wealth in Ghana. He also stressed which areas needed the most help.

Professor Ramsay exchanged ideas with his counterpart in Ghana, Dr Charity Sarpong about his experiences elsewhere in the developing world and how such co-operation would yield excellent outcomes. Proposals were made for co-operation between the Trust and individual Hospitals in Ghana, based on the visions of the recent Crisp Report. These proposals would establish NHS Hospital links with Tema General Hospital, along side the three other hospitals that are already linked with Motec. The meeting was chaired by Mr Ofori-Atta.