I don't want to dwell on something quite so depressing, but we do take so many things for granted in the uk, like being able to call a crash team if someone deteriorates. Or even the simple availability of the most basic mask to deliver oxygen.
I think this event has opened my eyes because since then I've seen patients who have been denied life saving anti hiv meds because they did not meet the strict criteria and a patient who has to decide whether or not to pay for really expensive anti hepatitis b drugs which may or may not prevent him from developing cirrhosis in years to come. These are also patients who have the ghanaian health insurance. What chance do those who don't have? No wonder there is still such a popularity for traditional herbalists and quacks. Rant over.
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Hey Rick,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you're having life/perception altering epiphanies this soon into your elective. Maybe one day when you're an wealthy ENT surgeon you can found your own fully equiped clinic or hospital (if you're really wealthy) in Ghana and treat people for free.
I have a question for you that you may or may not wish to answer in your next post. Do you think that the clinical skills/nous/intuition of Ghanaian doctors is sharper than those of doctors back home given the fewer investigative tools available? Just something I've always wondered.
Take care of yourself and say hi to cat and lou,
Ambrose
P.S. I think it would be really interesting to spend a day with the 'quacks' if possible.