Volunteer at a busy hospital in Ghana, where you will have the opportunity to learn about medical care in a low-income country. This is a great opportunity to experience healthcare in an African setting.
As a medical and healthcare volunteer in Ghana, you will gain hands-on experience working in a variety of hospital departments, including general practice, nursing, laboratory, A&E, physical therapy, maternity and surgical wards. You will shadow professionally trained doctors and nurses and assist with general clinical tasks.
Working at a general hospital in Koforidua, Ghana, volunteers will also have the opportunity to observe diagnoses and treatment of conditions not common in Europe and North America, like leprosy, typhoid and malaria.
No medical training or professional qualifications are necessary to volunteer in the healthcare project in Ghana. This project is suitable for medical and pre-med students, as well anyone with a particular interest in healthcare.
Qualified professionals can register for a temporary certificate to practice in Ghana for an additional US $100.
Download our program information brochure to find out more about volunteering in our healthcare project in Ghana.
Healthcare and medical volunteers in Ghana provide hands-on support at a busy hospital in Koforidua. You will learn how to diagnose different conditions, assist with basic tasks like drawing blood and setting up IV lines, assess pediatric patients, and support staff and patients in the prenatal, labor and postnatal wards.
Volunteers may work in a variety of departments, including nursing and dentistry, accident and emergency, pharmacy, orthopedics, maternity or midwifery, physical therapy, general practice wards and surgical departments.
Medical and healthcare volunteers work four days per week, from Monday to Thursday. Working hours are typically from 8am – 3pm, although your schedule may change depending on what hospital department you are placed in.
The hospital where you will be working is a 20-minute bus ride and a short walk from the volunteer dormitory.
The project is closed during the fourth week of December and on Easter Sunday and Monday.
I wanted to contribute in any way possible, and gain (although over a short period of 5 weeks) some insight into midwifery in this part of the world.My experience in the pre-natal ward, labour ward, and post-natal (lying in ward) in Koforidua Regional Hospital has been challenging to say the least.
Ellen-Claire Terer, Read Ellen-Claire's Testimonial
I was let to draw blood and set up IV lines under the supervision of a doctor and with the permission of the patient. There were also lecture series that I attended. Attending theater was the best part, I was able to watch and ask questions on the procedures being done.
Austin Ikechi, Read Austin's Testimonial
A volunteer vacation seemed like the perfect fit in that I was able to visit a place I had always wanted and I was also able to busy myself with interesting work that could actually benefit me when I returned from my volunteer vacation.
Brian Beard, Read Brian's Testimonial
However the physicians and nurses did a good job at bridging the gap. Never the less my experience as a nurse here was very eye opening and has really helped shape how I will practice as a nurse in the future. This experience has also given me a greater appreciation for the healthcare system that Canada has in place.
Krystal Edwards, Read Krystal's Testimonial
The program received excellent reviews was affordable and catered to what I hoped to fulfill on this trip. Have fun, laugh, and distance yourself from the life you live back home. I can guarantee that after experiencing the country, leaving Ghana will be harder than the challenges of coming.
Amy Van Berkum, Read Amy's Testimonial
You can buy breakfast, laundry soap, razor blades, phone credit, school books...you name it! I've found it particularly exciting when stumbling across that thing I gave up looking for yesterday when sent north, south, east and west by well-meaning locals who wanted not to disappoint an obruni (white person) but to point them in the 'right' direction!
Kate Horan, Read Kate's Testimonial
The doctors gave me a very warming reception and I began contributing to these departments from the first time I volunteered. As a recent graduate of Kinesiology and as a research student in spinal cord injury I found that there was a lot of contribute to the physiotherapy department.
Hasan Hazme, Read Hasan's Testimonial
All these opinions offered by people made me cautious and scared about making a trip from Canada to Ghana. Nevertheless, I followed my instinct and was determined to prove them wrong about all these suspicions they had about Ghana.
Sukhmeet singh Sachal, Read Sukhmeet's Testimonial
If you are interested in joining the program in Ghana, you should download and read our destination guide.