Accra, May 24, GNA - Members of the International Medical Mentoring Program (IMMP) of Grove City College based in Pennsylvania, United States, will from next year assist in the training of nurses and medical students in Ghana as part of their social services contribution to the country.

The members would also offer free medical service to deprived communities, build a clinic and preach the gospel to win souls for Christ.

Dr Mark Weber, Director of IMMP, made this known on Wednesday when he led a 10-member medical team to call on a Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Gladys Ashittey, to announce their intention to establish a collaboration with the government in offering free medical assistance. He said the team, in collaboration with Africa Assistance Plan, a non-governmental organization that deals with social services, would be working with the Medical School of the University of Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale and the Sunyani Health Service. He explained that the collaboration would include an exchange programme between Grove City and the Medical School of UDS to share experience.

Dr George Amofa, Director of Public Health, said maternal and child health mortality was serious issues that the health sector was battling and urged the team to consider those areas as well.

He explained that maternal mortality was extremely high due to lack of logistics, inadequate resources and the fact that expectant mothers in the rural areas sometimes had to travel on motorbikes over long distances before reaching a health centre.

Dr Amofa said the country's maternal mortality rate was 214 per 100,000 live births saying "this is just the average and we see it as a serious situation and we are doing all we can to address the problem". He expressed the hope that the collaboration would yield good fruits not only for Ghana but the US and the College.