Tamale Teaching Hospital - Accident & Emergency

3 days in the Accident & Emergency unit at Tamale Teaching Hospital provided the perspective I have only yet been able to read about. It could be expected that sitting in a global health lecture, no matter how informative, would undoubtedly not compare. Without the connection, you cannot feel the realness of the experiences of these people. Suffering is right in front of you, it’s not hidden like it is in Canada. The wards are open, with beds a foot apart from each other, and seldom curtains to pull. Anyone can see the sickness, anyone can see the death. 

I was told that when Ghanaian people go to the hospital they expect to face pain. The same degree cannot be said in Canada. Family members bustle around doing everything they can to take care of the patients. They are the ones bringing food, water, and fan their loved ones from the heat. 

I consider myself lucky to have met several wonderful nurses and doctors during my days here. These types of people are so purely genuine, and their souls stick with you long after your interactions. They were so well educated and competent, and I truthfully learned a lot from them that I will bring forwards in my practice. They make the best of the circumstances even though the system doesn’t set up them for success or positive patient outcomes. They are realistic and logical, but not defeated and angry. There isn’t the same capacity to avoid preventable deaths. There are aspects of cultural differences when it comes to relational practices, but when the system doesn’t support you, how are you expected to support the patients. Many continue to show up without pay. 

These days at TTH were more for personal learning rather than to make a difference on their health system. A system level change is multifaceted requiring analysis of their culture, the country’s power, ability to allocate resources, and ultimately spending their government chooses to place towards healthcare. The power imbalances in spending abilities and resources distribution between Global North and Global South can also be considered when considering the difficulty Ghana encounters procuring necessary resources. 

Many medication and vaccine shortages persist. Money, stigma, distance, and healthcare staff to patient ratios are huge barriers to accessing healthcare. It became a familiar act to watch the priority be placed on the transactional requirement before medications are administered or treatments are done. In several patient’s charts, the doctor’s orders were tagged with - if the patients family can afford. If they can’t, it won’t happen. 

There is no pause button for the patients as they wait for their pain to be managed, their wound to be dressed, their open fracture to be casted, or their medication the urgently require, but there is for the staff. No payment, no treatment. Here, healthcare is not guaranteed.

Blog written by Kyra - 4th year BSN Student