The week also included a visit to another rural health clinic that Dr. Addai established. This one was a three-hour drive from CIMS – a drive that took us through many other impoverished rural villages. Dr. Addai and his staff of three administered to more than 150 people that day. It was an amazing thing to witness. They operate in a church that has no electricity or running water. In fact, it is simply a small building with a roof – no windows, no screens, no amenities whatsoever. They set up shop as follows:
One staff member stationed herself at the entrance of the church to log-in patients as they arrived. They needed to show their national health insurance card (available to all Ghanaians) and then were asked to wait their turn while sitting on wooden benches. By 10:30 AM, the church was filled with people (mostly women and children) patiently waiting their turn to see Dr. Addai or the physician assistant (PA) who works for him. At the front of the church they set up two tables with chairs for the patients: one for Dr. Addai and the other for the PA. At the side of the church, two other staff members (one of whom is a nurse) set up the pharmacy. Each time they set up this clinic (about two times per month), they must bring all of their supplies including a very limited repertoire of drugs, stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs. That’s all. No other bells or whistles are available to administer to the sick on typical visits to this village. Occasionally, they bring along a mobile laboratory but this requires much more in the way of personnel and resources – both of which are so limited.
We have posted several photos of what we observed on this day. Shown in several are Dr. Addai with some of the patients he saw, the pharmacy (photo with various drug supplies on the floor), some of the people waiting their turn, and the exterior of the church where everything took place. Our day ended at about 5:00 PM. We each had some crackers and water to carry us through the day but frankly, when you are so busy, you tend to forget that you have an appetite.
sometimes.. city life blinds us.. I lived in Accra most of my life (my dad comes from Saltpond in the Central Region tho..) and even though we are "aware" of this somehow... it's a different thing to actually experience it.. one thing that is different from schooling here in the States is "community service." In Ghana.. sorry to say, but it's not enforced like it is here.. or maybe people need to take care of themselves, so taking care of others might not be something that might jump right to mind... Again, I applaud you and your team!!!!!
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