Sending Medical Supplies Around the World

With over 6 million surplus and unused medicines and medical equipment in the United States, we at Catholic World Mission take great care ensuring that they are put to good use in places that are severely in need of these critical medicines and equipment around the world. Since 2004, we have had the incredible opportunity to ship hope in the form of medical supplies, disaster relief needs, and building materials. With your help we have continued this mission to provide international support for people who do not otherwise have the resources. We at Catholic World Mission and our family of supporters have been a champion for children who are dying from treatable and preventable diseases and illnesses. Diseases like typhoid, polio, and malaria are just a few of the ailments we assisted in finding cures thanks to shipments of medicines and medical supplies.

Shipping Globally

Ventilator shipment to Ghana

About Shipments to Ghana

Since 2009, you have supported our effort to ship medical relief to the Enchi Government Hospital in the Western Region of Ghana. It is considered a “115 bed hospital;” there were 80 adult beds, 13 pediatric beds, and an average of 20 pediatric patients on the floor; until we were able to help provide 25 new beds and cribs. The hospital had two operating tables, and thanks to your support we were able to provide anesthesia machines, which are now in use.  The hospital won second place in the Regional Peer Review Mechanism Award in 2012, followed by first place in 2013 and 2014. The Enchi Government Hospital has worked hard to achieve this status, and thanks Catholic World Mission for their help in providing equipment to enable their health care providers to perform safely.  This hospital has only one physician/surgeon, 13 nurses, 14 midwives, and 53 auxiliary staff. The hospital provides one of only two physicians in a four hour driving radius, serving residents of both Ghana and Ivory Coast; as well as patients from distances up to 500 miles, such as Burkina Faso and Mali.

Pediatric Patients

The most common reason for admission are ailments such as pneumonia, complicated malaria, anemia, and typhoid. The amount of space in the ward is limited; meaning only surgical and severely ill patients are admitted. Surgical cases can range from hernias, abscesses, and injuries, to tumors, and typhoid infections that have perforated the bowel.

Curious George dolls given to all the children at Enchi Govt Hospital in Ghana
A Curious George for a pediatric patient in Enchi Govt Hospital in Ghana
A Curious George doll for baby in Ghana Hospital
Paraplegic man in Ghana

A Paraplegic’s New Life

Together with the Yonkofa Project, you helped to bring a Personal Energy Transporter (PET) from Colombia, Missouri to Ghana! This specific PET went to Michael; a paraplegic who has polio. When he first came to Catholic World Mission, Michael had slippers on his hands in order to use them to crawl forward, letting his limp legs drag behind; this was the only way he was able to get around. He Michael lives in a village called Kramokram in Ghana’s Western Region, however he was able to meet CWM at the hospital where we assembled the PET.

Michael was able to test drive the PET at the hospital, where we found that it works well on both paved areas and rough dirt. With his amazingly strong arms, Michael was able to transfer from the PET to the taxi passenger seat without assistance. We loaded it into the taxi, and he went home with a huge improvement to his quality of life.

See photos from our shipments to Ghana here:

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