Essentia Health’s Dr. Bertha Ayi Wins Award For Her Efforts to Make Health Care More Accessible In Ghana
Dr. Bertha Serwa Ayi, an infectious disease specialist at Essentia Health-Fargo, recently travelled to Washington, D.C., to accept the Community Champion Award from the Ghana Diaspora Public Affairs Collective for her work to make a healthy difference in her native country of Ghana.
As the president of the Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America (GPSF), Dr. Ayi was recognized for her efforts to streamline the credentialling process, allowing more doctors to practice medicine in Ghana, as well as her advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Ayi says that Ghana’s doctor-population ratio is not where it needs to be, largely due to a lack of medical facilities and supplies for students to train. In her early years, she experienced the ramifications of these shortages firsthand.
When she was a student-teacher in Ghana, Dr. Ayi fell ill with malaria and often had to walk the seven miles to and from the closest medical facility to obtain her malaria treatment. She would wait long hours at an overcrowded outpatient facility before seeing a physician or physician assistant. This experience gave Dr. Ayi a deep understanding of the lack of access to health care in rural Ghana and the drive to do something about it.
Once Dr. Ayi became GPSF president, she made great strides in delivering medical supplies and expertise to underserved communities in Ghana. During the peak of the pandemic, Dr. Ayi also dedicated herself to the education of the Ghanian community on the efficacy of the vaccine through a variety of online speeches and media appearances.
“My experience with malaria was an eye-opener and stirred up my passion and dedication to improving the health care system,” said Dr. Ayi. “This award motivates me to continue working globally to promote access to quality medical care in all the communities that I am privileged to serve.”
“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Ayi for her commitment to global health equity,” said Essentia CEO David Herman, MD. “At Essentia Health, our mission is to make a healthy difference in people’s lives, and Dr. Ayi has gone above and beyond to do just that. Her passion and dedication to others is an inspiration to me and all her Essentia colleagues.”