Research has shown that skilled accounting practices in healthcare not only have a positive impact on the management of funds but also a significant impact on the quality of healthcare provided1. Strong budgetary practices are associated with high-quality healthcare. Sr. Mavis Ackaah Mensah of the Society of the Infant Jesus (SIJ), the senior finance officer and head of accounting at Infant Jesus Catholic Clinic in Asempa-Kasoa, Ghana, has used her knowledge in accounting and healthcare to maintain safe, quality care for those she serves.
Sr. Mavis has long been dedicated to enriching the lives of others through her education and ministry. She developed her passion for accounting at the start of her ASEC programming in 2017. Since then, Sr. Mavis has utilized her skills and passion for accounting to serve those at Infant Jesus Catholic Senior High School and at Infant Jesus Catholic Clinic. While at Infant Jesus Catholic Senior High School, Sr. Mavis was tasked to prepare and submit the financial report for the school. She took notice that the school, which was registered as a profit-making organization, had not been profiting for years. In fact, they were not breaking even. To remedy the situation, Infant Jesus Catholic Senior High School closed down and chose to re-register as a non-profit organization. Sr. Mavis was tasked with writing letters to the Ghana Revenue Authority, which aided in improving the financial situation at the school.
A few years after starting her work at Infant Jesus Catholic Senior High School, Sr. Mavis started a second position as the finance officer at the Infant Jesus Catholic Clinic in 2020. Sr. Mavis continued these roles while also successfully completing a degree in accounting at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Sr. Mavis currently works at the Infant Jesus Catholic Clinic as the head of the accounting department and as the senior finance officer. In her role, she works interdisciplinarily with medical professionals to maintain proper records of monetary transactions. She also manages the clinic's short-term and long-term financial goals, files taxes, and completes clinic financial reports, all while maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality.
Sr. Mavis believes that if you have knowledge, you must share it and allow others to light their candles from your flame. She believes in being humble and in always finding new ways to grow through knowledge and experiences. Sr. Mavis gained knowledge through the SLDI curriculum and is able to utilize that knowledge to serve others. She is a wonderful example of the importance of interdisciplinary work and she displays, daily, the impact that the SLDI program has on alumnae. Sr. Mavis continues to use her skills to implement positive change at the clinic in which she serves.
