The Ashipti Project is currently working with health centres and hospitals in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Our goal is to develop infrastructure by working with the Ghana health service and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We are currently working with Walewale District Hospital and Janga Polyclinic in the Northern Region.

The Ashipti-Walewale partnership

In 2011, The Ashipti Project partnered with Walewale District Hospital in Northern Ghana. We are now working to support the hospital and to help to develop healthcare infrastructure in the region.

Money raised by Ashipti will be used to fund projects to improve patient care at the hospital. All projects will be designed in conjunction with staff in Walewale and will be heavily dependent on local priorities.

About Walewale 

Walewale is located between the cities of Tamale and Bolgatanga. It is the capital of the West Mamprusi District, one of 20 districts in the Northern Region, with a population of over 150,000.  The region is predominantly rural and most families support themselves through small scale farming. The majority of the population still live in small communities of traditional round houses.

Walewale is host to the district market several times a week, making it a hub of activity and bringing people from far afield to the hospital.  

Walewale hospital and its challenges

Walewale District Hospital run by Dr Abdulai, a Ghanaian doctor who trained in Turkey and has returned to work in his home country.

Dr Abdulai is assisted by a dedicated team of physician assistants, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, lab technicians and administrators. He is the director of the hospital, the gynaecologist, the surgeon, the paediatrician, physician and general practitioner. In addition, he is a respected member of the community and is expected to attend celebrations, settle private disputes and act as advisor within the community. He is essentially on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, caring for a huge population. The staff at Walewale work tirelessly to provide the best care possible for their patients, but they face many challenges.

Despite excellent work by the Ghana Health Service to develop the hospital, it remains overcrowded and lacks a great deal of lifesaving equipment.

It is not uncommon for several unwell children and their mothers to have to squeeze onto a single bed in the corridor, as there simply are not enough paediatric beds.

The oxygen supply is limited, there is no xray machine, no defibrillator, no ECG machine, no sats monitor… and the list goes on.  The challenges of hospitals in Ghana are difficult to comprehend when compared to European or American healthcare systems. Despite this, there is a great deal of hope in Walewale.

Ghana is a democratic, peaceful country making real developmental progress. They have a national health insurance scheme that enables patients to be treated for free at the point of need. In addition, the Ghana government has ensured that all maternity care is totally free, in a bid to reduce maternal mortality in the country.

The Ghana Health Service has made huge progress over recent years and things in Walewale are improving. However, the task of developing healthcare infrastructure to 21st century standards is daunting.

Initiatives such as the Ashipti-Walewale partnership have a vital role to play in supplementing the work that is already being done, allowing healthcare to advance more rapidly and to build on the progress that has been made by the Ghana Health Service.

As specific projects develop, we will update this page with further details of our activities in Walewale. Please check back to find out more about our current projects.