MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MERCY HOSPITAL COMPLEX FOR THE POOR IN AFRICA
In 2006 the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair described Africa as ‘a scar on the conscience of the world’. Among the myriad of problems facing Africa, preventable disease remains pre-eminent butIn spite of this, many doctors from Africa leave the continent to pursue a better living abroad leaving the continent bereft of their skills and experience. In as much as we cannot prevent the mass exodus of our trained medical personnel from Africa, we believe we can create an opportunity for Africans in diaspora and their western friends to give back to Africa in cash or in kind.
This is why Destiny Global ministries Incorporated wishes to solicit funds to help establish a hospital for the poor in Africa that will compete favorably with the best in America.
WHY SHOULD YOU GET INVOLVED?
A great poet once wrote‘No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main… Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee’. (‘No Man is an island’ by John Donne).
The WHO estimates that millions of children die every year from preventable diseases in Africa and the number is still rising as poverty ravishes countries like Somalia and Ethiopia. The life expectancy of an average Nigerian is only 45years whereas that of his counterpart in the developed world is 77 years or more. Even though other factors play a role in diminishing the quality of life of the African, the major factor affecting his QUALYS or quality adjusted life years remains lack of access to quality healthcare. Unfortunately our politicians are happy to allocate a minimal percentage of budgetary spending to healthcare and remain content with flying themselves overseas for medical care thus encouraging ‘capital flight’ to developed countries to the detriment of African economies.
In this age of privatization and deregulation the onus then lies on private individuals and corporate bodies to take the bull by the horn and lead the march towards transformation of the healthcare industry in Africa especially since the scourge of HIV/AIDS and other preventable diseases has taken the greatest toll in Africa. Our impoverished masses have no access to basic healthcare and killer diseases like cancer are only diagnosed when it is too late to provide succor. People suffering from preventable diseases fall prey to charlatans because they can’t afford to pay a consultation fee to see the right specialist. Those who can afford to pay might die due to lack of the necessary expertise or equipment to treat their disease. This project aims to bring hope to the millions of hardworking Nigerians especially those in diaspora who long to be able to go home one day and enjoy the same quality of healthcare they enjoy in other developed countries.
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, all donors will have access to the board of directors of this hospital and can follow the movement of the funds to ensure they are utilized for the right purpose.
WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT
We plan to build a 500 bed hospital with modern diagnostic equipment and interventional facilities in the south eastern part of Nigeria. We also wish to partner with big players in the industry to help sustain our growth in the health sector. The project will attract doctors in Europe and America who are willing to render their services free of charge at specific times in the year. These doctors will not only provide medical consultation to patients but also provide training for junior doctors in the country.
We also want to introduce hospices, elderly care homes and emergency medical services which are all lacking in south eastern Nigeria and most other parts of the country.At present we have made contacts with friends in Enugu who have offered to lease a three storey building to us until our hospital complex is completed.
HOW TO DONATE OR PARTICIPATE
We welcome donations from individuals and corporate organizations and we also welcome volunteers who wish to work in Africa in the areas of healthcare. Medical students looking for experience in Africa can volunteer to serve with us. Donations can be in the form of medical equipment or supplies and we welcome refurbished or brand new equipment. A list of items that we need can be obtained from our offices in Houston or in Nigeria and will be available for download online in the future.
From, Dr Tochukwu Emmanuel Anyansi, MBBS,FWACS,Dip.Health Economics.
Medical Director/Project coordinator, Mercy Hospital Enugu, Nigeria.
PROFILE OF THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR.
Dr Tochukwu Emmanuel Anyansi was born in Enugu, south –eastern Nigeria on the 16th of July 1975. He attended medical school at the University of Nigeria Enugu and qualified as a doctor in 2001. He then did his residency in radiology at his alma mater, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, obtaining a fellowship of the West African College of surgeons (FWACS) in radiology in March 2009.
He travelled to Ireland in late 2009 to broaden his medical experience and worked in Cavan General Hospital Cavan, Kerry General Hospital Tralee and Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown Dublin. He obtained a Diploma in health Economics from the University College Dublin (UCD) in 2011. He is married with three girls and a boy and lives with his family in Dublin Ireland. He has recently been appointed a consultant Radiologist and lecturer at Federal Medical Center Abakaliki, Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Inhis desire to give back to Africa he gave up a lucrative medical career abroad to supervise the execution of this project in Enugu, Nigeria.
