Place of Service: National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana.
Duration: 4 weeks (29th June-23 July, 2009)
Comments:
The program was excellent. I had the chance to interact with patients and work with some doctors like Dr. Gyan-Heart surgeon, Dr. Ismail to mention a few. Some of the cases presented by the patients during the period were; Congestive heart diseases, Valvular defects (aortic stenosis and incompetence), atrioventricular valve defects, tetralogy of fallot, patent ductus arteriosus and others.
These patients were treated well. Some were operated on. The operations performed during the period were opened heart surgery, closure of hole in the heart (atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defects), double valve replacement and others. I had the chance to watch the doctors perform these operations at the theatre. Also how people with a mechanical pacemaker are put on warfarin to prevent blood coagulation.
This service was of great help to me since I had a practical application and appreciated the importance of the anatomy and the physiology I studied in my first year at the medical school, and also, how cardiopulmonary disease conditions are presented and their management. I now have some basic knowledge on heart related problems and the kind of education I have to give to the general public for them to stay healthy and be strong, since the heart is a very important organ that controls the body’s vital activities.
What interest me most is how patients recover and return to full activity after surgery, and the confidence with which the doctors at the center discussed the patient’s condition before management.
What really challenged me after the period of service includes; the low doctor to patient ratio in the country as far as management of heart diseases are concerned; means by which patients can raise money for their medical care since surgery is very expensive, and whole lot of people who need surgery cannot afford the cost.
In a whole, it was a nice experience. I am suggesting that ANE should give longer period for the community service so that we can appreciate what we would be in for. Long live All Nations Education and the donors, World Vision and the scholarship recipients. Stay blessed!
Frank Kwasi Nyabe
(University of Ghana Medical School)
