This morning, the San Rafael-Nebrija University Center for Health Sciences hosted a roundtable discussion entitled "Health Realities in West Africa," where the Brothers discussed the reality of their health centers and the current challenges and needs in Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Brother Bernard Isah Benda, Laboratory Chief at St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital in Monrovia, explained the lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak and the goals and achievements of the SELeCT (Strengthening Laboratory Capacities in the St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital for Clinical Trials on Infectious Diseases) project to strengthen the laboratory capacity of St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital in Monrovia in clinical trials for infectious diseases.
This project was carried out in consortium between the Monrovia Hospital, Juan Ciudad ONGD and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), and its objective is to contribute to improving the Hospital's laboratory diagnostic capacity, building professional skills among its staff, and raising awareness among the population of the surrounding communities about the importance of scientific research.
It is funded by the World Health Organization and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.
Also participating in the roundtable were Brother John Oppong, Director of St. John of God Hospital in Sefwi-Asafo, Ghana; Brother Johannes Torwoe, Superior of the Koforidua Community, Ghana; and Brother Michael Koroma, Director of St. John of God Catholic Hospital in Mabesseneh, Sierra Leone.
Also attending were three other Brothers working in Sierra Leone, Benin, and Togo, who were part of the African delegation that attended the First World Congress on Bioethics of the Hospitaller Order held this week in El Escorial.
Both Juan Ciudad ONGD and the Saint John of God Foundation They collaborate with the Hospitaller Order's centers in Africa, so they have taken advantage of this visit to Spain to continue working together and raise awareness of the continent's health challenges.
Photos and text: Adriana Castro. JCONGD Communications
