Speaker Arthur Morris - The Ghana Project
Tue, Apr 30th 2019 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Retired plastic surgeon Professor Arthur Morris gave a talk to Kilrymont St Andrews Rotary Club about his role in helping to set up a Burn Intensive Care Unit in Kumasi, Ghana, over 25 years ago.
Prof Morris was a consultant surgeon in the plastics and reconstructive surgery unit in Dundee from 1975 until he retired in 2001.
In 1992 fellow surgeon Jack Mustarde proposed setting up a unit in Kumasi, 250 km north west of the capital Accra.
Prof Morris was a volunteer surgeon in IRPS (Ghana) Project made his first visit in 1994.
A three-point plan involving the Ghanaian government, the country’s president Jerry Rawlings and the Ministry of Health was proposed. It’s aims were to train surgical and nursing staff, to set up a service and to provide facilities which would retain staff in the country.
Help came from Dundee Rotary Club president Bob Barnett and S.K. Nyamah, president of Kumasi Rotary.
A modest start-up was planned using the available facilities and in 1995 fund-raising began with six nurses coming over to Dundee to train in the Tayside unit and matched funding sought from central Rotary grants.
Over £9000 was raised in Dundee and by July 2000 nearly £20,000 was sent to Ghana to help with the new unit and provide surgical instruments.
Prof Morris, honorary president of ReSurge Africa, gave examples of some of the work that he performed including cleft palate surgery, abdominal tumour removal and burned hand reconstruction.
He said that in Ghana the risk of burn injuries were great from oil and gas explosions from tankers delivering to villages and primitive cooking bonfires where children in particular were at risk.
The Kumasi unit made great progression with 150 patients treated per year between 2001-2007.
By 2008 there were two Ghanaian surgeons and also three nurses who had been trained in Dundee and a year later a new trauma unit with five dedicated burns beds and an adjacent modern theatre opened.
Prof Morris said that by 2018 there were six consultant surgeons, seven trainee surgeons and several senior nurses.
Prof Morris, who was awarded an OBE in 1999 for his medical and charitable work, was introduced by David Sanford and George McIntosh proposed thanks for what was a tremendous success story.
Prof Morris was a consultant surgeon in the plastics and reconstructive surgery unit in Dundee from 1975 until he retired in 2001.
In 1992 fellow surgeon Jack Mustarde proposed setting up a unit in Kumasi, 250 km north west of the capital Accra.
Prof Morris was a volunteer surgeon in IRPS (Ghana) Project made his first visit in 1994.
A three-point plan involving the Ghanaian government, the country’s president Jerry Rawlings and the Ministry of Health was proposed. It’s aims were to train surgical and nursing staff, to set up a service and to provide facilities which would retain staff in the country.
Help came from Dundee Rotary Club president Bob Barnett and S.K. Nyamah, president of Kumasi Rotary.
A modest start-up was planned using the available facilities and in 1995 fund-raising began with six nurses coming over to Dundee to train in the Tayside unit and matched funding sought from central Rotary grants.
Over £9000 was raised in Dundee and by July 2000 nearly £20,000 was sent to Ghana to help with the new unit and provide surgical instruments.
Prof Morris, honorary president of ReSurge Africa, gave examples of some of the work that he performed including cleft palate surgery, abdominal tumour removal and burned hand reconstruction.
He said that in Ghana the risk of burn injuries were great from oil and gas explosions from tankers delivering to villages and primitive cooking bonfires where children in particular were at risk.
The Kumasi unit made great progression with 150 patients treated per year between 2001-2007.
By 2008 there were two Ghanaian surgeons and also three nurses who had been trained in Dundee and a year later a new trauma unit with five dedicated burns beds and an adjacent modern theatre opened.
Prof Morris said that by 2018 there were six consultant surgeons, seven trainee surgeons and several senior nurses.
Prof Morris, who was awarded an OBE in 1999 for his medical and charitable work, was introduced by David Sanford and George McIntosh proposed thanks for what was a tremendous success story.
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