Grace Summerhayes

Grace Maria Linton Summerhayes MacRae (1894-1993) was a British obstetrician/gynaeocologist who worked in Africa.

Biography

Summerhayes had her first experience of medicine as an orderly at the Scottish Women's Hospital at Royaumont in 1917 during World War I. This hospital, with entirely female doctors and other staff, worked close to the front line and was at one point overrun by fighting. Summerhayes subsequently trained in medicine, tropical medicine and obstetrics.

Summerhayes set up the first maternity hospital in Ghana, at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, in 1928. This was one of the first to provide midwife and later obstetric training in Africa and was very influential in the development of midwife and obstetric services in Ghana and wider West Africa. At Korle-Bu she trained the country's first midwives, who subsequently went on to develop the profession in Ghana with Isabella Eyo, Adelaide Mallet, Comfort Addo, Grace Koi and Sarah Okine, then trained as nurses. She also undertook research into causes of anaemia in pregnancy.

Summerhayes subsequently married the lead surgeon in Korle-Bu, Alexander MacRae, and due to the colonial regulations at the time as a married woman had to resign her post. She and MacRae returned to England, and she resumed medical practice. Summerhayes was a public health advocate and active in local politics until her 90s.