I had the chance to get a firsthand look at medicine in
Ghana over my last 2 weeks in the hospital. I shadowed an Obstetrician, a
physical therapist as well as spending some time in the medical laboratory. It
was an incredibly interesting experience but also quite sad. It is not so much
that there is any more suffering by the people who came into the clinic, but
the fact that they did not have the means to fix it. The hospital itself has
the expertise, staff and resources to diagnose and cure most people but the
people who came into our clinic either could not afford the treatment or were
not in a position to change the circumstances that got them sick in the first
place. This is saddest and most sobering fact of all.
The
vast majority of people who I saw in the hospital were diagnosed with malaria.
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is passed to us by mosquitos. It
is virtually non-existent in much of the developed world but still kills
millions in the developing world. It is most often easily treatable, and also
preventable with mosquito repellent and a net while sleeping. Unfortunately
these measures are still unattainable by the people who need them the most.
The
second most prevalent problem was hypertension (high blood pressure). This was
the last thing that I expected from a culture that has not yet known the joy
(sarcasm) of a McDonalds. However in many poor countries including Ghana,
hypertension is a major problem. The majority of their food is fried with palm
oil and even their soups (light soup, palm nut soup, groundnut soup) have oil
in them. People in poverty eat fried food for the same reasons high school or
college kids eat so much fried food, it is cheap, and easy. Unfortunately they
are not constantly bombarded by anyone else but their doctors (who most rarely
see) about the dangers of hypertension. Even when they are diagnosed many don’t
want to or can’t pay for the everyday medication(s). And when they can they
often don’t take them because they feel worse when they are taking them or they
cause unwanted side effects. While I was in the hospital I saw patients with
blood pressures that were so high they couldn’t even be read by the machine.
And often the people with hypertension were in their 30s or 40s, younger than
the average American with hypertension.
The
biggest problem of all, however, is anemia (iron deficiency). I don’t even
mention this as the most prevalent thing I saw because it was rare to see
someone who was not anemic. It has been estimated that as many as 80% of Ghanaians
are living with anemia, many with severe anemia. Most children and pregnant
women suffer from anemia, the groups that need to be healthiest the most. IT is
a constant battle for the physicians to keep them taking iron supplements and
making sure that their diets contain iron. Malnutrition is the foundation of
many other diseases in underdeveloped countries and Ghana is no exception.
I saw
many more diseases while I was in Ghana but the three problems I mention above
account for the majority. I did not even mention HIV/AIDS, Sickle Cell Anemia, Gastroenteritis, and Intestinal Worms. All of which are also major problems in
Ghana, but less prevalent or unheard of in the U.S. Unfortunately these
problems are part of everyday life in Ghana and only exacerbate the other
difficulties produced by severe poverty. Finding a solution to any of these
problems could save millions of lives immediately as well as relieve a lot of
suffering of the most downtrodden people.
