A team of 62 medical professionals from the United States and the Liberian Diaspora has been providing free medical services to members of the public through the HANDS International Medical Mission. The outreach, which began on Monday, November 9, has brought together specialists in various fields, including cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, and pediatrics. The mission aims to provide medical consultations to over 2,000 patients before concluding on Saturday, November 14.
The medical team has recorded over 700 patient encounters in the first three days of the outreach. The team’s president, Dr. Reynold Agard, said that the mission has revealed the extent of the country’s unmet healthcare needs and the financial difficulties that prevent many Liberians from obtaining treatment. The team is exploring arrangements to facilitate treatment for patients with complex conditions, including an eight-year-old girl suffering from a congenital heart condition known as Ebstein anomaly.
The case of the eight-year-old girl has particularly concerned the visiting team. According to Agard, the child has experienced breathing difficulties and poor physical development due to the condition. The team is exploring arrangements to facilitate her treatment, potentially through a cardiac program in Nigeria. Agard said that the case illustrates why the medical mission cannot be limited to treating patients during a few days of outreach.
HANDS International is considering how it can help connect patients with appropriate treatment facilities and explore longer-term healthcare collaboration in Liberia. The organization’s experience in Nigeria offers one possible model, where a previous medical mission helped lay the foundation for a specialized healthcare initiative. Agard said that the Nigerian experience demonstrated how medical outreach could develop into sustainable healthcare infrastructure and help reduce the need for patients to travel abroad for treatment.
The mission is the result of years of planning and collaboration between Liberian healthcare institutions and medical professionals in the Diaspora. Christine Lawrence Nayor, the mission’s lead planner, said that she had spent years encouraging Agard to bring HANDS International to Liberia. Nayor believes that the mission could become the starting point for a more enduring partnership between Liberian healthcare institutions and medical professionals in the Diaspora.
Discussions are already taking place about bringing back a specialized surgical team to address cases that the current group of professionals cannot handle. One of Nayor’s aspirations is to help establish a cardiac center of excellence in Liberia. She believes that such an initiative could improve access to specialized treatment while strengthening the country’s medical workforce.
The mission has received support from members of the Liberian Diaspora communities, who contributed to planning and coordinating the initiative. Nancy Witherspoon, the mission’s media and communications lead, expressed delight at being part of the mission, describing its realization as the fulfillment of years of planning. The team is expected to conclude its outreach on Saturday, November 14.
Key points
- HANDS International Medical Mission provides free healthcare services to over 700 patients in Margibi County.
- The mission aims to provide medical consultations to over 2,000 patients before concluding on Saturday, November 14.
- The team is exploring arrangements to facilitate treatment for patients with complex conditions, including an eight-year-old girl suffering from a congenital heart condition.
