2007 Ghana Fellowship

The Need
In countries where pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and other supplies are difficult to acquire on a regular basis, medical products donation becomes the major means of obtaining these critical commodities. The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD) www.pqmd.org estimates that in countries where medical products are in short supply, medical donations account for more than half of all medical supplies. Even in developed countries, where there is better and easier access to obtain medical supplies, medical donations are needed in special circumstances such as natural disaster response e.g. Hurricane Katrina of 2005 in the United States. Understanding the mechanics of medical products donation from both the donor and the recipient point of view is essential to its efficient management.

Impact of Medical Donations
Continuous and systematic medical donation program has the potential to save untold lives, gives hope, makes substantial impact in improving health, and contributes to the most unusual health challenges worldwide.

Goal and Objectives
With academic support from Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLUSPH) and unding from Johnson & Johnson, PQMD supports the Medical Products Donation (MPD) fellowship program in one country each year. The program aims at understanding the current medical donation practices in respective countries and caucus ways to advance medical donation practices in that country. Ghana was selected to participate in the 2007 program.

The purpose of our research was to assess medical donation practices in Ghana with the aim to:

     Provide a foundation for decision making around medical donations ,

     Foster cooperation among potential recipients and donor organizations , and

     Identify opportunities for PQMD members to partner with local organizations to match
     up appropriate medical resources and need.

Download the complete report.  PQMD Fellowship - Ghana Report

 Frank Osei Presenting in Washington, DC

Winnifred Oware Presenting at Johnson and Johnson in New Jersey