PILOT DIASPORA MOBILE CLINIC ROLLS OUT AT CHURCH OF PENTECOST, HAMBURG.

As part of immigration services provided by organisations in Germany, the Church of Pentecost’s main headquarters in Hamburg, on Sunday, July 29, 2024, served as the site for the pilot rollout of the innovative Mobile Medical Clinic (MMC), introduced by the Ghana Ex-Servicemen Association Hamburg e.V (GESAH).

The mobile clinic arrived at the church premises with a team of doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals. They provided free medical screenings, consultations, and treatments to numerous church members.

This project is backed by sponsorship from BürgerStiftung Hamburg, with organizers appealing for further support to extend its reach.

Wilberforce Osei Tutu, a project coordinator for the initiative, explained that the mobile clinic, housed in a truck, will travel to various locations across Germany, including mosques. Its mission is to deliver healthcare services to demographic groups that face challenges in accessing healthcare in the port city of Hamburg.

The clinic particularly aims to serve immigrants whose irregular residency status in Germany has hindered their access to proper medical services. Introduced in 2020 in collaboration with Meine Diaspora e.V. and YAPA Germany e.V., the mobile clinic was specifically created to provide healthcare to underserved African communities and other minority groups in Hamburg.

The pilot rollout of the initiative was well-attended by numerous dignitaries and personalities who recognized its timely and relevant impact on the target audience. Attendees included Sylvaiana Gerlich, President of IMIC e.V., Mirmigakis-Uyur Yildiz, the CDU political representative for the Wandsbek District, Irene Appiah, a politician and founder of Meine Diaspora e.V and Hayford Anyidoho, the Chairperson of YAPA.

According to the organisers, the initiative is distinct in its purpose. Information on its website reads: “The distinctive characteristic of this Mobile Medical Clinic is the informality, relative to other more institutional healthcare facilities. For some patients, including immigrants, low-income residents and others, fixed-site clinics and medical centres can sometimes feel intimidating. The Mobile Medical Clinic will offer greater ease of entry with a more intimate setting, less paperwork to fill out, and a corresponding degree of anonymity.”

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