After three and a half years of praying, dreaming, planning and hard labor, the Pat Moscrip Maternity Center at the Beatitude Care Center has opened for business!
Early in the morning on January 11, 2021, the Pat Moscrip Maternity Center opened it’s doors to the public. We would have loved to say that it was with great fanfare that this milestone was marked, but due to the current worldwide pandemic it was a quiet opening. If times had been different, we would have taken a delegation of supporters for a grand ribbon cutting but we did not want to delay the delivery of quality medical care to the residents of Nguru Umuaro just so we could celebrate this great achievement.
We never dreamed in the summer of 2016 when we first met Fr. John Nkwocha that in 4 years time we would be opening such a wonderful facility. In the Spring of 2017 we made our first trip to Egbelu, just to see if we were really called to this challenge. The dreaming and scheming began, and here we are 3 1/2 years later giving birth to this great mission.
Just as in the rest of the world, 2020 was filled with expectation, delay, inertia and great promise for the Beatitude Care Center. It began with excitement about the donation of medical equipment from Project C.U.R.E., then frustration over the delay in cutting through the proper red tape to be able to import the goods. Then there was elation that we were able to help pack up a 40 foot cargo container and send it on it’s way. Two months later we were exasperated to find our shipment stuck in Customs. Once problems there were resolved the supplies made their way to Egbelu where a faithful crew unpacked in the rain and eventual darkness.
Then nothing happened. For a long time. We waited for news that we could travel to Nigeria to interview potential staff. But God had a plan. In October Clementina Agoucha retired from the national hospital in the northern part of Nigeria where she had been in charge of the Obstetrics Unit. Being a native of Egbelu, she came home and wanted to work with us at the Maternity Center. Interviews with Clementina and others were carried out over Zoom and WhatsApp. In December, we were able to continue with our regular Saturday clinics that had been scaled back since the virus erupted in March.
The blessing of a cargo container of supplies and equipment led to a dilemma - where to store everything! The staff rooms in the clinic building were stuffed with boxes, beds, surgical supplies, etc. A storage building (that will later be expanded into staff housing) was hastily built and the newly employed staff spent many long hours getting the clinic equipped and ready to open.
The clinic is staffed by Clementina Agoucha, Celine Orji, and Chioma Ekeocha , Nurse Midwives, and Dr. Sylvia Echekwu. Chizoba Edwin, Nurse Assistant, and Chika Ukachi, Lab Tech will live at the clinic. We also have a small cleaning staff and are contracted for 24 hour security officers. The generous donations from our donors have made it possible to pay salaries and expenses until the clinic can become more self sufficient.
We are humbled and overwhelmed by the generosity that has made this all possible. And we have been constantly amazed at how everything has fallen into place on this journey. We look forward to bringing you more good news in the future as we continue to expand our services. Please know that your generosity is greatly appreciated not only by us but by the people of Nigeria, also.