ISHI volunteers have fun time with a baby outside the Kabala Government Hospital
The International Surgical Health Initiative (ISHI) is a surgical volunteer-run organization based in the United States. They are one of the partners of the Ministry of Health that visits Sierra Leone every year to perform free surgeries for the people of Kabala in Koinadugu District. In November last year, the organization marked a record eleventh mission to Kabala and performed over 60 successful surgeries free of cost.
A beneficiary at the Kabala Government Hospital tells his story to the Africa Young Voices (AYV)
Through the leadership of the Minister, Dr. Austin Demby, the Ministry of Health is working relentlessly to attract more international volunteer-run health organizations to respond to the numerous healthcare needs of ordinary Sierra Leoneans. In October 2023, another Sierra Leonean-led volunteer-run organization from the United States, Saving Lives Initiatives, also visited the country and performed over 70 free surgeries in Freetown, provided hands-on training for health professionals and donated high value medical equipment.
One of ISHI’s lead nurses, Kimberly Gray, inspecting a patient after a successful surgery.
One of the key goals of the Minister is to see a transformative healthcare that leaves no one behind irrespective of social or financial status and to achieve this, doors have to be opened to our brothers and sisters in the diaspora to come and contribute. This short documentary sheds the spotlight on ISHI’s last intervention and the impact on the ground in Kabala.
Some members of the ISHI team pose for photo with local staff at the Kabala Government Hospital
