Student Medical Mission to Ghana

When we awoke Sunday morning, we were greeted by Magdalena, a local seamstress who dropped off beautiful handmade dresses for us to wear to the Sunday services presided over by Rev. Bob Andoh, whose church is hosting our health mission.

Magdelena had taken measurements earlier in the week and some of the students had selected their own fabrics, which were rich and vibrant.  The results were astounding, and one of our students, Pamela, was so taken with the designs that she asked Magdalena to make her dress for her wedding scheduled for next year.

After church we returned to the clinic in the afternoon.  An elderly man was waiting with a large grin, and I was told that he was a returning patient.  On the first day of the clinic last week, he walked in with a handmade, oversized crutch and patiently waited his turn; when asked what he came in for after he limped to his seat, he simply said he had “a pain in his leg.”   Upon inspection, a large gaping and swollen wound stretched from just below his knee all the way down to his foot.  It had to be intensely painful.

He shared that it was the result of lumber accident six month ago.  His wound was cleaned and carefully dressed, and he left the clinic with a new walking boot and crutches, and has been back every other day to have his wound checked and dressed, each time entering the clinic with a smile that never ceases.

On Sunday evening we took a walk along the water in Sekondi.  A group of young men played soccer and we stopped a few minutes to watch.  They enjoyed their American audience and we mused whether another future World Cup soccer player was in our midst!

Kathleen Taggersell
UNE Director of Communications

After an 11 hour flight from Dulles, we were on the ground in Accra and anxious to join our 13 other colleagues and students who have been in Western Ghana since July 29, providing direct care services to the community in the “twin cities” of Sekondi and Takoradi.   It’s an interprofessional group of physical therapists, dental hygienists, physician assistants, nurses, physicians, and public health professionals.

After quickly moving through Customs/Immigration, where we provided electronic scans of our both of hands, we grabbed our luggage in baggage claim and were greeted by Frank, the health mission’s community worker.  Frank is a longtime partner in Ghana who has assisted us during the health mission for many years; he stayed by our side for the next seven hours, safely navigating our way to our final destination in Sekondi via taxi, bus and car.  Traffic in the capital city of Accra is tense for those of us unaccustomed to the narrow and congested streets, and we were relieved to have his calm and cheerful company.

Since our arrival in late July, the clinic has treated close to 300 patients.  Many of the children, parents and elderly who visit the clinic have no health insurance and little access to medical care.  Many also turn to the indigenous healing practices. Patients start waiting in line as early as 4:30 a.m.  Frank assigns them a ticket when he arrives and they patiently wait their turn.
Access to safe drinking water is a challenge in this region, and many of the illnesses such as malaria and intestinal parasites reflect that.   High blood pressure, children with malnutrition, and various injuries are also common.

The children at the clinic are playful, friendly and inquisitive.  They are delighted to watch a medical glove magically transformed into a five-fingered balloon, and they giggle when they see a photo of themselves played back on a digital camera.  During the course of the day I notice how little crying I hear from the little ones, even when their fingers are pricked for testing.

Kathleen Taggersell
UNE Director of Communications