Meet VV Grow Fellow: Naana Akyaa Asante
Naana Akyaa Asante is a registered nurse with over 27 years of clinical experience in maternal and child health, home care, and school nursing in the United States and Ghana. She combined her belief in access to equitable, quality healthcare products and services as a fundamental human right with her healthcare knowledge to create her extraordinary business.
Naana is the Founder and CEO of Isabella HealthCare Services, a leading medical supply company based in Accra, Ghana. Isabella works to improve the quality of health care delivery by providing government and private hospitals in Ghana with essential sterilized surgical drapes and gowns. Isabella’s pre-packaged disposable surgical packs are not only manufactured according to international best practices but also help to make surgeries safer, more cost-effective, and more efficient.
Beyond the branded surgical packs, Isabella’s mission is to ensure the availability of quality medical supplies precisely where and when they are needed, affirming their commitment to healthcare accessibility and excellence. The company collaborates closely with clients to tailor their surgical packs to meet each hospital’s needs and budget constraints.
Naana was inspired to start her business in 2016 when she visited Ghana from the United States to explore healthcare challenges and improvement opportunities. She met a pediatric surgeon who explained his hospital used reusable drapes and gowns and struggled to sterilize them due to water and electricity shortages, along with faulty washing and sterilization machines. The absence of sterilized drapes and protective gear had severe consequences, leading to surgery delays, cancellations, and an increased risk of hospital-acquired infections for patients and clinicians. Naana then partnered with a manufacturer capable of producing affordable, high-quality products to support the surgeon’s department and address the pressing supply issue. This experience motivated Naana to create Isabella HealthCare Services to assist other hospitals facing similar challenges.
A moment of reflection on her business came to Naana when she visited a client, and a man approached her. He identified himself as the cleaner from the obstetrics department. He explained to her how the disposable cesarean and delivery packs had made his job much more accessible by reducing the back pain the job often caused, and that was when Naana realized her work touched the lives of patients, clients, and essential hospital staff.
The impact of Isabella HealthCare Services continues with the importation and distribution of hospital consumables. Ghana’s significant reliance on imports (with 98% of medical supplies brought in) exposes these goods to the adverse risk of disruption during the import process, leading to harmful consequences for the healthcare sector and the economy. Naana’s goal is for Isabella HealthCare to use technology-enabled solutions to improve the supply chain inefficiencies and become a one-stop shop for quality, affordable, and accessible products. Isabella aims to manufacture medical devices while also promoting self-sufficiency and job creation.
Naana continues to enhance healthcare delivery’s safety, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency through Isabella HealthCare services. Being a 2023 VV GROW Fellow has heightened Naana’s commitment to making a measurable impact on her country and worldwide.
Follow the links below to learn more about Naana Asante and Isabella HealthCare Services
