Huddersfield volunteers in mission at African hospital

Oct 24 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A VITAL mercy mission in Africa involving volunteers from Huddersfield is now under way.

Teams of people are in Tanzania to help refurbish a hospital on the island of Ukerewe, the largest island in Lake Victoria.

At about 200 square miles, Ukerewe is about three-quarters the size of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales.

Ukerewe’s 160-bed hospital provides maternity, paediatric and general surgical care, but its operating theatre and labour ward are poorly-equipped and in a state of complete disrepair.

Now, however, hospital equipment worth hundreds of thousands of pounds has arrived in the area and work has started.

Huddersfield couple John and Chris Philip, of Fixby, organised the mercy mission and they have been joined by a team of volunteers, led by Huddersfield hospital engineer John Ennis.

The workers flew out several days ago but there was an anxious wait until the container loaded with the medical equipment arrived.

Mr Philip, a retired consultant, said: “I saw the ferry as a blot on the blue sky. My heart missed a beat. As it drew closer and closer I experienced an unexplainable mixture of emotions.

“After the passengers disembarked a huge truck with a 40-foot container slowly came off the ferry.

“This was the container I helped pack in Huddersfield three months ago with life-saving equipment for the neglected people of Ukerewe. I embraced the driver and nearly wept.