2017 Medical Supplies

Mater Misericordiae Hospital which serves Afikipo and surrounding area.

Shipment of supplies and equipment

In March 2017, 15,000 lbs. of medical/surgical equipment/supplies were delivered by MMCF to Mater Misericordiae hospital in Afikpo  and are still being used today. Mater Misericordiae selected the items they needed most from the inventory available to MedShare, another non profit which collects and sorts surplus medical supplies and equipment from US hospitals and manufacturers which would otherwise end up in US landfill.

The equipment and supplies included: two  hospital beds; transformers for operating room lights and a laboratory refrigerator needed for diagnosing disease ;  a hydraulic patient lift; IV poles; patient scales; blood pressure gauges;  as well as  bandages, catheters, syringes, surgical scissors , masks, gloves, gowns and other protective operating room gear needed to contain any future Ebola outbreak.

MMCF also shipped over 120 pairs of crutches.  Orthopedic surgery including amputation of the lower extremities is the number one surgery performed at Mater Misericordiae Hospital due in part to the prevalence of diabetes arising from the high carbohydrate diet of primarily or exclusively yams.  Patients' delay in seeking treatment contribute to the extreme result of losing a limb.  But the hospital also selected to receive 18 Personal Energy Transportation carts ("P.E.T. carts"), essentially large tricycles powered by pedaling  with arms rather than legs. These P.E.T. carts  provide a viable means of transport over Ebonyi State's dirt roads for those who can no longer walk the miles necessary to sustain a living.

Fr. Moses Aluu presents amputee with crutches

Patients awaiting P.E.T. carts to restore their mobility.

On the steps of Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Fr. Moses Aluu is surrounded by a group including recipients of equipment shipped by MMCF in 2017. Seven patients sit in their new P.E.T. carts.