Because Dr. Josephat was kind enough to drive us from Tamale to Wa, we got the chance to stop in at the Bole District Hospital -- where Dr. Josephat is the medical director and only physician. We were especially excited to visit Bole because it is so far removed from the other districts in the Northern Region. Like most physicians working in rural northern areas, Dr. Josephat lives miles and miles away from his family in order to serve this high-need area. His dedication is both remarkable and inspirational. It was pretty cool to see Dr. Josephat’s plans for expanding the hospital. In just a few days time, they would be using previously abandoned wards to create a separate pediatric unit. A shipment of consumable supplies will help to get the new unit up and running. Over the span of the next year, Dr. Josephat hopes to see even more expansion. People had lost faith in the center and were opting to travel all the way to Wa for medical care, he told us, but the trend was starting to change now that hospital has a regular doctor and staff. Dr. Josephat also had the great idea of having all the different wards in the hospital contribute personally to the request list – that way it would be most representative of the entire hospital’s needs. We are looking forward to sending a direct shipment to Bole this year!

Sonya