US Medical Volunteer Commits To Backup St. Timothy Hospital

-As Medical Charity Group Honors Dr. Appel

A medical volunteer now assigned in Liberia has made a commitment to backup and strengthen healthcare delivery at the St. Timothy Government Hospital in Grand Cape Mount County.

Making the declaration over the weekend at a local hotel in Monrovia, Dr. James Eric Appel promised to work with the hospital in carrying out major surgical operations.

With wealth of experience in diverse areas of his medical profession, he promised to carryout surgical operations free of charge.

Dr. Appel, a US-based family doctor, made the statement when he was honored by the local representative of Cross Culture Care, C3.

Dr. James Eric Appel, MD, is a medicare enrolled “Family Medicine” physician in Ventura, California. He went to Loma Linda University School of Medicine and graduated in 2000 and has 19 years of diverse experience with area of expertise as Family Medicine. He is a member of the group practice Last Frontier Healthcare District in Ventura, California. He worked with the local health structure in Chad for a number of years.

For his part, `the local representative for Cross Culture Care, Harris T. Karneh said since 2011, C3 has been involved with the St. Timothy Government Hospital and the Grand Cape Mount County Health team.

“Through a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health, C3 has been sending volunteered doctors, nurses and mid-level health professionals to train and build capacities of staff at the medical facility,” the local representative added.

According to him, in the organization`s quest to provide more sustainable assistance to the ailing health system, Cross Culture Care is funding  a range of projects including Grand Cape Mount County Healthcare Scholarship program, a competitive academic program launched in 2017 for Cape Mount County residents interested in health education.

“The program`s goal is to increase healthcare human resource-poll and to decrease attrition rate within the county healthcare system,” he added.

Speaking earlier, Brima D. Kromah, C3 scholar at the Smythe Institute of Management and Technology lauded the Appel family for such a bold decision to come work with not only the people of Grand Cape Mount County but others from neighboring communities.

“This unique family comes at a crucial time in the country`s history, when as a nation, we are in dire need of improved healthcare system,” he said.

He said while serving in Liberia, the couple will engage in health delivering programs that would further strengthen the objective of Cross Culture Care.

Kromah further indicated that as renowned medical practitioners, the Appels will for now benefit people of Grand Cape Mount County. “Dr. Appel and his wife come with wealth of experience in the medical field that would be of tremendous benefits to the people.”

The St. Timothy Government Hospital, situated in Robertsport, is the only referral hospital in the county and it is among other medical centers across the country that is overwhelmed by challenges.

As one of 15 counties that constitute the first-level of administrative division in the nation, Grand Cape Mount County has five districts. Robertsport, with an area measuring 5,162 square kilometres (1,993 sq mi), is the provincial capital.

In the 2008 census, it had a population of 129,817, making it the eighth most populous county in Liberia.