Our last week in Accra

7/24/17

Today we visited a fevers unit that primarily serves HIV patients— they also care for any patients who have been diagnosed with a communicable disease, I think. We brought a number of donations and then met with a number of different health care practitioners who work at the unit. The most interesting individual was one of the counseling staff. It is only the second (maybe third) time on the trip that we’ve met someone who is a counselor— and the first time that this was their primary role. It is ironic that a place that constantly talks of fighting stigma has so few counselors to help communities process and talk about why they are dealing with these types of issues. (Although, this is not exclusive to Ghana or any one culture it is still an major issue for many people in the US.)

After lunch we went to a herbal hospital where they only use natural and herbal based remedies to care for patients. It was fascinating to learn about the different ways they try to help their patients— some through teas and concoctions but often through general counseling. Many of the students seemed to struggle with the idea that a gym can be used to help improve the lives of the patients— they kept asking questions like, what would you prescribe the gym to cure? They weren’t always able to think outside a straight line. 

The local lawn mower at the Fever's Unit

After the herbal center we went to the UNFP (United Nations Population Fund— unclear why its not the UNPF…) where we had, what felt like, our third lecture on maternal health in Ghana. It sounded detailed and informative and I think the students were mostly interested… but it was a little too detailed for me.

The group meeting went fine, my group is struggling to work without wifi. They haven’t realized that they have everything they need to complete the project in their notes, heads and with the markers and paper I’ve provided. However, they made it work and have put together a decent power point presentation.

7/25/2017

Today we traveled to the Shai Osu-Doku district, an area about an hour outside of Accra. It’s the first time it has felt like we have truly been outside of the city sprawl (travel days excluded) and the dichotomy is stark. Surrounding the district hospital we’re visiting are long green ridges broken by red swaths of dirt bulldozed by farmers. Along the Ridgeline the horizon is broken by fantastic clumps of trees that rise above the greenery of the other trees. Today we are visiting the Shai Ousu-Doku district hospital which was built last year by a British company. The bright, clean construction stands in contrast to the local buildings we drive by on our way in. The students are in awe of the organization, the new beds, computers and medical equipment. All of the hospitals thus far have had similar patterns— each medical department a bungalow connected by outdoor walkways. The most interesting thing about this new building is that they’ve included housing for the medical team next door to the hospital. The primary staff can all live on campus which allows them to be ready for any emergency at the hospital. Additionally, next door to the pediatric ward is a hostel for any families who need to stay over night. It is the first hospital that we’ve seen that appears to truly cater to the needs of a rural community.

After our tour we head to a local area hotel for lunch. It feels like we’ve walked onto the set of a ghost village from a 1970’s movie. Opaque pink and orange walls clash with bright brass nobs on doorhandles; We walk into a dining room, dimly lit by hazy windows, seats filled only by the bright eyes of the customers and a stuffy hint of banku and plantains. The eery scene, made possible by a black out and the strange silence of the customers feels like a dream or a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean— where everything looks normal until the moonlight reveals the truth. We walk into another empty courtyard, filled with puddles from recent rain and old crescent shaped seats, gaudy in gold and pink before arriving at our tables. The food, as always slow to arrive, is delicious.

Before our day is done, we drive into the country side to interact with the community members with whom we will be helping to build a Child Health Clinic Shed. The red dirt road is pocked with pot holes and small lakes of murky mud— our bus lurches, winding around, over and through each obstacle shoving our stomachs left and right. The shed’s foundation has been laid and the cornerstones are ready for us. We meet with the chief of the village and his two cute children and learn that we will help them put up the roof. The recent wet weather has delayed the drying of the cement but the groundwork has been laid for a full afternoon tomorrow. 

The TA's tend to get a little wacky while waiting for the students...

7/26/17

We traveled back to the Shai Osu-Doku district hospital this morning. The T.A.’s spent the morning working in the hospital office while the students shadowed various offices; two students were able to shadow physicians going on home visits and the other students broke into several smaller offices to shadow different areas of the hospital, including public health, antenatal and postnatal care, psychiatry, family planning, and home visits. In the public health area, we sat with nurses who were in charge of follow-up visits for children aged 0-5. In addition to weighing and administering vaccines, they are responsible for registering newborns, and recording and tracking their growth. They showed the students record keeping methods, and explained the schedule of immunizations that all children in Ghana are supposed to receive. They were able to assist in weighing the babies, administering oral vitamins, and record-keeping. Under the supervision of the nurses, some of the students were able to counsel parents about proper diet, and weather-appropriate clothing.

After another prolonged lunch we worked on the Children Health Shed— primarily by handing the carpenter support beams and the tin roof while other students patched the edges of the concrete. Unfortunately, there were really too many hands to be involved in todays work but everyone had an opportunity to lend a hand and a number of students really got into the work. 

Victoria works on adding rubber washers to each nail for the shed

Bailey passes tin shingles to the carpenter

Ready to hit some nails! (Although we never did get to hammer anything...)

Learning the proper technique for patching the cement

My personal favorite...

7/27/17

It was another early day and long drive to the Shai Osu-Doku district to visit a CHIPS compound (local area clinic), where we donated medical supplies and one group spend most of the day running basic health screening appointments. The other two groups (including mine) returned to the child welfare site to continue work on the shed. After about an hour of mixing cement we started the screening process— basically laying down a fine top layer of concrete for the floor. Shortly after this we spilt up in to two groups and my team headed to a near by church to run malaria tests for the local community. They seemed to really enjoy the process— it’s a fairly basic test— and they were able to get to know the locals and talk to them about basic improvements that can help them avoid being bitten by mosquitoes; stay inside at dawn and dusk etc… We spent the entire morning and most of the early afternoon working on the shed and running the screenings. 

Taking inventory

View from the CHIPS compound

Early morning progress on the shed

Mixing cement...

"Screeding?"

Prepping the test kits

Waiting for a client

The bus ride home felt exceptionally long but we were home earlier than usual which the students utilized to make some gauacamole while working on their group presentations. The T.A. had a short discussion with the director of academic affairs at the University of Ghana which was interesting. I tried to catch up on some writing, explored the local shopping area and dreamed of ice coffee. After dinner my group came to my room to rehearse for their big presentation tomorrow. They were a little nervous but they did well.