HOPE Center Opening

Posted by Mercy Ships staff on Feb 15, 2012 at 11:26 am

There was good reason for joy among the crowd of government dignitaries, health officials and representatives of the Africa Mercy who gathered shoulder-to-shoulder for the official opening of the brand new Mercy Ships Hospital Out-Patient Extension (HOPE) Center.

The HOPE Center is located between the bustling districts of Bè-Kpota and Anfamé, in Lomé, Togo. Renovated at a cost of over $100,000 and funded by Mercy Ships donors, this facility is home for 40 patients at a time, each accompanied by a caregiver, for pre-operative and post-operative care.

As explained by Off-Ships Project Manager Franck Gouhizoun, “The HOPE Center frees up precious bed space in the hospital ward on the ship. In the past, many individuals requiring outpatient care had to stay in the ward because they could not afford to travel to and from the ship and home. If there is not an available recovery bed, a surgery cannot take place. By freeing up beds in the ward, the HOPE Center allows ideal patient flow management.”

The HOPE Center crew is grateful for the comfortable, air-conditioned patient rooms and the bright, clean and airy common rooms. Brenda Howson, Outpatient Team Leader, commented, “All of this beauty, cleanliness and space will mean better health recovery. The whole experience of medical treatment is often foreign and stressful for the patients. The thoughtful touches everywhere will make a huge difference. This place will be a very special oasis for those who are away from everything they know.”

The day-to-day operations of the HOPE Center require a number of important support services. A 20-member team of local day-workers will be serving in the HOPE Center. Many of them worked at the HOPE Center in 2010 and they appreciate the opportunity to be of help once more. Aicha Gountchetijoa expressed the general sentiment, “We are so eager to again be with the patients and the staff. We translate, clean, do activities . . . and, always, we pray for them and show them the love of God.”

In reflecting on the process required to establish an operational HOPE Center, Managing Director Donovan Palmer credited the partnership between the Government of Togo and Mercy Ships. “Over the course of five Mercy Ships visits to Togo since 1991, we have formed a great working relationship with government leaders and officials alike. The HOPE Center is a symbol of that special relationship in action,” he stated.

This is the second community-based health care partnership between Mercy Ships and the Government of Togo. In 2010 the Government of Togo offered Mercy Ships the use of a section of a clinic facility, originally built in 2007, to house its HOPE Center. In exchange, Mercy Ships used donated funds to complete major renovations to a section of the facility. When the 2010 Mercy Ships Field Service in Togo ended, this section of the facility was returned to the Togolese government to establish the Maternal Health Centre.

In his heartfelt speech when the HOPE Center was officially opened, the Togolese Minister of Health Charles Kondi Agba pointed to the significant increase in capacity thanks to Mercy Ships. “The health facility, built by the Togolese government in 2007, served 200 people in 2009. Now, because of the improvements contributed by Mercy Ships, we serve 1,200 people.”

Alongside the HOPE Center there is an outdoor infant care clinic that serves as an example of increased capacity. A long line of mothers wait with their newborns for a weight check and consultation.

The significant goodwill underpinning the work of Mercy Ships in Togo is an incredible blessing. Traditional chiefs representing local districts participated in the opening. Senior Chief Togbui Aklassou was present to represent the entire Bè-Kpota - Anfamé District. Deep emotion was evident in his voice as he thanked Mercy Ships for serving the men, women and children of Togo. “When you go and the hospital takes over the sections renovated by Mercy Ships, we will take good care of these improved areas. They are indeed a great symbol of the relationship between Mercy Ships and Togo,” he remarked.

Story by Joanne Thibault
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by: Debra Bell

Comments: