Ray of Hope

On December 7, 2016, we voted out the incumbent president. I voted for the first time and it was a good feeling to partake in this democratic process and honor the sacrifices made by our forefathers to ensure that this was possible. Ghana is blessed to have had a peaceful election. In most African countries, election season is a time of great apprehension and tension. The Ghanaian incumbent gracefully accepted defeat and called the newly elected president to congratulate him. After January 7 2017 (presidential inauguration), we will have 3 living ex-presidents; a noble achievement for an African country. It’s been 10 months since I returned home to Ghana after spending almost 12 years in the States. The last 9 months have been spent at the Methodist Faith Healing Hospital, located at Ankaase in the Ashanti region of Ghana, where I have been helping in the emergency room, revamping the ambulance service and helping with staff (nurses) development. It has been an interesting, fun fi...

Today, December 7, 2016, the people of Ghana go to the polls to elect the person who will lead the country for the next four years. Please, remember us in your prayers as we cast our votes. We are praying for peaceful and fair elections. God bless Ghana.

On Friday, November 4, 2016 I went to the hospital for my first night shift. The purpose of my visit was to learn about night shift patient population characteristics and staff activities. Our facility operates 24 hours a day, throughout the week. However, we are usually busy during the day and afternoon hours with sporadic emergency cases presenting during the night shift hours. Since I live about 10 minutes from the hospital, I had to walk on my dusty road to the hospital and began my commute around 9pm local time. This was my first time venturing out on this road at that time of the night and as I made my way toward the hospital I began wondering about all the critters (snakes and scorpions) I had seen on the road during day time. Since there aren’t any street lights on this road, my flashlight came in handy but it wasn’t powerful enough to abate the darkness around me. However, I was reminded of the truth contained in Psalm 23 as I walked down on the dark road and that broug...

Today is election day in the United States. Folks all over the world are closely following occurrences at the polls and so are the Ghanaian people. It's all over the news here in Ghana. Here is a quick note to let our friends in the States know that they are in our thoughts and prayers as they vote for the next president. God be with you and God bless America.

On August 15, 2016 I posted a story about a boy whose parents couldn’t afford his hospital bills after discharge and how his bills were settled after a special fundraising.  Multiple scenarios such as this led to the creation of the Anidasowoha fund; a fund dedicated to helping poor patients who are unable to settle their hospital bills. Thanks to support from generous donors, we (Anidasowoha fund) were able to settle the hospital bills of a one year old boy who had been admitted, on October 18, due to multiple facial lacerations sustained due to a fall. His injuries were very significant and resulted in significant blood loss prompting us to transfuse blood products. By God’s grace, his brain was not affected by the fall and he consistently displayed all reflexes expected for a child of his age. He fully recovered and was discharged on Monday, October 24 2016. Unfortunately, his mother, who has 6 other children and an alcoholic, had not registered the boy on the national insu...

At 10:50 pm on Monday October 10, 2016 I received a call from Hannah’s dad. Hannah had passed away at home surrounded by family and loved ones. I was (and still am) saddened by the news. The life of a 14-year old was ended abruptly by a manageable illness due to a failed health system. Hannah was a strong girl full of life and dreams of the future whose resolve to beat her illness was evident for all to see. She fought this illness all the way to end and never backed down even when the complications of the illness required her to be stuck in the hospital for days. All she wanted was to get well, return back to school and also help her dad on their farm. She will be terribly missed. Unfortunately, Hannah’s story is repeated across the country each day. There is high prevalence of pediatric mortality due to preventable and manageable diseases in Ghana. Hannah’s death is a poignant reminder of urgently needed changes in this healthcare system. Rest in Peace Hannah, Rest in Peace...

The following story is being told with permission from parents of the patient. BACKGROUND Hannah is a 14-year-old girl who presented to the emergency unit on July 30, 2016 with an extremely high blood pressure, pulmonary edema and breathlessness. Her oxygen saturation was 55% (normal value for pediatric patients is 95-100%). Oxygen was quickly administered in addition to diuretics and antihypertensive drugs. Once stable, we obtained blood specimen for analysis and concluded based on the results that she had renal (kidney) disease. Kidney ultra sound showed atrophied renal tissue and this was also supportive of the renal injury diagnosis. Her parents reported that she began having symptoms (decreased urine output, weight gain, anemia, weakness) a few weeks before they brought her to our hospital. After several days at the hospital and further assessment, we learned that Hannah had renal failure. In developed parts of the world, patients like Hannah would have had kidney bio...

 Glucometers are essential to every health facility and especially, to diabetes management. They are used to assess a patient’s blood sugar and determine whether to administer insulin or dextrose. At our hospital, these little devices are used so often that they sometimes break down and dysfunction. Once it breaks down, it’s just cost effective to replace it rather than trying to fix it.  A few months ago, each department had a glucometer but overuse led to deterioration and due to lack of funds, we have not been able to replace them. Until last week, we had 2 for the whole hospital. This meant that, in case of a diabetic emergency (hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic episode), we had to run and look for any available glucometer. Delays in providing quick care during diabetic emergencies can lead to negative patient outcomes. Thanks to a special donation from Nick Eskridge and Meredith Skaggs of Cloverport United Methodist Church, we have been able to procure 3 more glucome...

I took last week off to spend time with my family and relax. I’ve been running around like a chicken without a head since my arrival and I felt it was time for a short break. I’m usually at Ankaase (location of the hospital) and do not always get to see my family. Sometimes I spend 2 -3 weeks in the village, visit my family for a weekend and then head back. This has reduced the amount of time I get to spend with them. So we were all glad to have last week to really spend time together. With help from my dad, we were are able to afford to head to Cape Coast, about 110 miles south west of Kumasi, for 2 days during my time off. My sister (Esther) and her husband (Francis) joined my mom, my brother Francis and I on this mini vacation.  From front center to right:  Esther (my sister), Stella (mom), Francis (in white, my sister's husband), Francis (my brother) and I (UK shirt and Cap :), go wildcats!!!) We visited the Kakum national park (https://en.wikipedia....

As Christians, one of our many duties is to help lighten the burden of those who are less fortunate. We do this by indulging in those activities that bring hope to the lost and result in a heavenly peace for the broken. Most of us donate time, prayers, money and essential items to those in need as part of our calling to love and show love others. An observation I’ve made since I began serving at this hospital has been the increased number of patients who cannot afford to pay their hospital bills after discharge. They are left in the hospital as their loved ones look for funds to pay off these bills. I wrote about a particular case ( http://anidasowoha.blogspot.com/2016/08/an-act-of-kindness.html )  in which I was involved in raising money to help pay off hospital bills. Due to the current economic crises, which has led some into abject poverty, the number of patients who aren’t able to afford care is increasing. Lack of health education also contributes to the problem. Most o...

Since I began serving at this hospital I have observed a fair amount of occurrences that break your heart. There was the case of a 70-year-old male asthmatic patient with a closed right femur fracture who wouldn’t agree for us to transfer him to the big hospital in Kumasi for surgery. He didn’t have money for the corrective surgery. So, he was discharged against medical advice and we later learned that he went in for herbal treatment to fix his leg. Then the case of a 4-year-old with severe anemia (hemoglobin level of 2.2g/dl) whose dad refused to sign consent for us to transfuse blood. The dad took his boy home against medical advice and there was nothing we could do. The law addressing such issues is murky. We are still looking into that law. Then there are cases of children, mostly infants, who are kept at home for a long time after they become ill. Eventually, the parents will bring them after exhausting herbal medicine options and finding no solution. By that time, the diseas...

Work at the hospital has been going smoothly. However, we are sitting on a time bomb. I have been learning about the financial status of the hospital and discussing with the general manager (CEO) about  matters affecting the state of the facility. Please see the report below. BACKGROUND Based on current statistics, we have seen over 26,000 patients at our 81 bed hospital since the beginning of the year. Approximately, 2,000 of the patients seen so far didn’t have insurance. This means that majority of the patients were insured.  Health insurance is managed by the Ghana central government. For less than $10, a person can be insured for a year within the National Health Insurance scheme (NHIS). Unfortunately, reimbursement of insurance claims is not forthcoming. About a month and half ago (June 2016), the hospital was reimbursed for September 2015’s claims. It’s a miracle that the hospital still exists and can help care for the large amount of people who need its services...

On April 18 I wrote about a newborn (Emmanuel Yamoa) with cleft lip who needed corrective surgery. Thanks to some members from the Cloverport United Methodist (Cloverport, Kentucky), Emmanuel will be undergoing the corrective surgery procedure this evening(July 20, 2016). We are very grateful and appreciative of their support. Please keep Emmanuel and his family in your prayers as they prepare for this surgery. I will post an update later about how the surgery went. Update I went and visited Emmanuel and his family at the hospital today (July 22, 2016). He is doing very well and his family is well pleased. I am excited to know that all went well with the surgery. God is good. A picture of Emmanuel just before the surgery 24 hours post surgery. He is doing very well.

On Tuesday July 12, 2016 I joined a group of individuals from my hospital (Ankaase) and from the Methodist head office in Kumasi for a visit to Amakom, a small village  about 20 miles southeast of Kumasi. This village is home to a Methodist clinic and also Lake Bosomtwe, the biggest natural lake in Ghana. Its beautifully located. But due to financial hardship, poorly run insurance scheme and a bad road network, the clinic is not being utilized as it should. Yet, there are people in the community who need the services of this clinic.  Road heading into Amakom. Lake Bosomtwe is in the background Because the people in the community are very poor (mostly farmers) and cannot afford clinical services, the clinic sometimes provide free service. But financial constraints and lack of medical resources prevent them from adequately providing care, even if its free. A few weeks ago, a young patient died there because of lack of intravenous (IV) fluids.   A view ...

Happy Independence day to all my American Family and Friends. Praying for God's continued blessings, protection and favor upon this great nation as she celebrates another milestone.  And may  the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the Sweet Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen.

We see all kinds of amazing things happen at our little hospital. But two cases occurring almost simultaneously, have stood out in our minds during the last 2 weeks. We are always thankful to God for his Mercies and bountiful blessings and for continually using us as his vessels to bring healing to the sick, hurt, weak and broken. The first case is that of a 57-year-old male who was referred to our hospital from a smaller clinic about 45 miles away. Initial assessment revealed hypotension, hypoglycemia and high fever. He was almost comatose. After successful resuscitation, he informed us that he had generalized abdominal pain, nausea and had been vomiting for almost 24 hours.  He was diagnosed with acute abdomen after further assessments and this diagnosis warranted an emergency exploratory laparotomy. The surgery was desperately needed because he was on the brink of death. Fortunately, we had a visiting surgeon at the hospital who was performing a prostatectomy at the time ...

On Friday June 17, I joined other healthcare staff of the hospital for a conference in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This was a Methodist health professionals conference and since the Ankaase hospital was founded and is being managed by the Methodist Church, it seemed appropriate for representatives from the hospital to attend. The Ghana Methodist Health System consists of 2 hospitals and 19 clinics. The conference was scheduled to begin at 9am and Accra is 5 hours south of Ankaase so the hospital decided to get a bus and shuttle us to the conference. We were told the bus will be leaving from the hospital at 3:30am. Fortunately (I’m being sarcastic), I did not have electricity in my house so I decided to wake up at 1am and get ready.  Electrical outages are common occurrences here. It was also raining furiously at the time. We are currently in the rainy season and it rains almost every day. Because of the rain and the darkness on the dirt road leading from my house to the h...

Almost 2 months ago (April 18 blog post), I wrote about a 15-year-old (Jennifer) with a 4-month old baby who was admitted to the emergency unit and stayed over a month. The baby had staph infection with huge wounds on both sides of the chest area, just above each clavicle. By God’s grace the baby recovered and the wounds healed perfectly. Mother and baby were finally discharged on Friday, May 31. After discharge, Dr. Nkansah (ER physician), Clements (Physician assistant) and I took them to their house. We wanted to assess the condition of the place where mother and baby will be staying. Due to extreme hardship, Jennifer’s mother rents a 12-feet by 12-feet room and shares this place with 5 of her kids (she has 7 children). Jennifer and her baby joined them in the already cramped space. The room had one window that was poorly placed thus, ventilation in the room was also very poor. The outside environment where the kids spent most of the time was also in a bad shape with trash and stagn...

On Saturday May 28 we cleaned up a section of the hospital that was used to store medical supplies in the past. A new store was built for medical supplies as a result of increasing need. Therefore, most of the usable items were moved to the new location. However, some of those items left behind were also usable. But due to lack of training in the usage of those resources, they were left behind. There are 2 rooms full of stuff but we had time to go through just one.  In a few weeks’ time, we shall go through the other room. We were very fortunate as most of the items were still usable. The plan is to arrange all the usable items and catalog them in a proper manner. This will enable ease of access when the need arises. Below are pictures of the project. Condition of the room before we began sorting it out. A different view of the same room. It was really packed with stuff. Sorting it out.  Usable medical resources. We have already used some of this f...

On May 24, 2016 I joined a group of hospital staff for a mental health forum in a small rural community known as Wawase.  The staff represented various hospital departments and I was representing the emergency unit. Wawase is about a 10 -minute drive south-west of Ankaase. Mental health education has become a big focus in Ghana and efforts are being made to educate the public and dispel erroneously held beliefs. Some strongly belief that mental illnesses are spiritual diseases caused by witches and that the person who suffers from a mental illness has been cursed.  Some family members will sometimes take suspected members with mental illness to “religious camps” and chain them to tress until the illness has “left” them. The goal is to eradicate these practices and help citizens understand the nature of mental illnesses. Community members listening to the message about mental health Due to the lack of adequate psychiatrists, some nurses are specially trained in ps...

This past weekend we (my dad and I) traveled to Nobekaw, a small village about 62 miles west of Kumasi, for a funeral. The hospital’s CEO/general manager lost his father in law so staff, family and friends were present for the funeral. Socializing...  Since arriving, I have observed an increase in the number of funerals being celebrated, particularly in the Ashanti region. I am not sure about the other nine regions. There are 10 regions (similar to states in the US) in Ghana and I am currently located in the Ashanti region. Saturdays have been reserved for funerals in this region and funerals have become a sort of social function, according to gathered opinions. Not only have they become popular social functions, they have also become a source of revenue for family members of the deceased person. An attendee is expected to contribute money, known locally as “Nsaa”, to the family of the deceased to help offset some of the cost involved in the planning of occasion. In ad...