Dr. Bret Batchelor returned from his sixth visit to Ghana's northern city of Tamale with lighter luggage but a fan of touching letters from community members, thanking him and other Revelstokians for their latest round of electronics donations.
"Hi friends," reads one letter. "I received an iPhone 6s from your kind generosity through Dr. Bret. Thank you very much, and may God bless you and your family."
"It's every year that you touch my heart with your special gift, and this time was not different," read another from a Samsung Galaxy A series smartphone recipient.
"Many of these people would never have gotten access to the internet or (been able to) keep in touch with their loved ones," added a third writer. "So, thank you for your kindness. We truly appreciate you all."
Batchelor, a Selkirk Medical Group family physician and Queen Victoria Hospital surgery chief, performed 96 operations during his latest volunteer appearance at Tamale's Shekhinah Clinic, Jan. 13 to 29.
He also handed out between 30 and 50 smartphones and laptops to volunteer Shekhinah medical staff, with people continuing to drop off devices at his Revelstoke practice, an initiative he's run since starting annual trips to Ghana in 2018.
"I get to know the people really, really well," he said.
Read Black Press Media's previous reporting on Batchelor's work in Ghana.
Starting after a 2017 work visit to Zimbabwe, Batchelor was approached the next year by a fellow in Wawa, Ont., from his Canadian network who was pooling together medical professionals to volunteer at Shekhinah. The clinic has supported impoverished communities in Tamale since 1991.
Batchelor calls the legacy of Shekhinah and its founder, the late Dr. David Abdulai Fuseini, unique for a clinic in Ghana, and perhaps across Africa more widely.
"It's inspiring," he said. "Doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon."
Batchelor hopes to next return to Tamale in 2026, and his newest aspiration for these visits is getting his wife out to Ghana with him. He also remains welcoming of any smartphones and laptops the Revelstoke community would like to contribute.
"People know that I'm always accepting them, so they can just drop them off at the Selkirk desk," Batchelor noted.
While he emphasized that "my small contribution is a drop in the bucket," continuing his yearly visits to Tamale means more and more members of this Ghanaian community will benefit from a level of medical service that often remains inaccessible.
"I approach every patient anywhere in the world the same - with dignity," Batchelor said. "Really, the thing is I'm doing it for the people down there who wouldn't be able to get it otherwise."
