Day 9: Ghana Teams

After so many adventures together, we felt as if we needed a day to collect our thoughts and put pen to paper. Therefore, we spent the day together reviewing the research that was conducted and writing up our reports for our presentations tomorrow. But first, we spent the morning reminiscing over our favorite moments from the trip. For some it was the canopy bridge walk, for others it was meeting such kind and friendly members of the community. One thing was for, nobody missed the driving! Tomorrow our meeting was moved up to 8 a.m. and with our flights taking off at 10 p.m. at the earliest we dedicated to make it an early night and hit the sack after dinner.

Day 7: Ghana Teams

Today we woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed for a day of key informant interviews! First we traveled to the Kumasi Teaching Hospital and had the fortune of being guided through the triage room, examination rooms, emergency department, and the record keeping spaces. Following this experience, we traveled to Afrancho to speak to a midwife at the Darso Health Center about her experiences working at the facility and what type of care her patients receive at this center versus other health facilities in the region. After this key informant interview, we traveled to the Pastor’s house to talk with him and his wife. We learned about the roles they play in their communities related to healthcare behaviors and what gaps they notice in healthcare accessibility in the region. 

After these interviews, we reflected on the day as we traveled back to Kumasi and enjoyed the sunset! 

Day 6: Ghana Teams

Today we rested in the morning before taking the bus to a kente cloth center. There, we learned about the history of kente cloth, observed the process of creating a kente strip and bought souvenirs from the gift store. Then we drove to Lake Bosumtwi, which is the only natural lake in Ghana and was formed by a crater. We then ate dinner at the Kumasi Mall and then rested for the day ahead of us tomorrow.

Day 5: Ghana Teams

We had an early morning with breakfast at 7 a.m. to prepare for our day of fieldwork. We then traveled on the bus to go to the Woraponso community to observe the OKB Hope Foundation's interactions with a rural community and speak with two faith healers about their work in promoting biomedical health care in to their congregations.

On the drive home we stopped at a food center and got frozen yogurt from Pinkberry and then headed to a local infamous restaurant Ike's Cafe and Grill and ate traditional food and sang karaoke. It was a great team bonding moment!

Day 4: Ghana Teams

After a bus ride of roughly 2 hours, we reached Amantenaman Health Center. At the health center, we heard from the director of the sub-district health center, a registered mental health nurse, and a religious leader. Here we learned about the flow of patients through the health center and heard about some of the most common health concerns faced in the community such as malaria, anemia, and asthma. Pastor Dan spoke with us about his congregation and his challenges.

Then, we spoke with a religious leader who significantly shifted our view on the role of faith healers in rural communities and their relationship with community members.

Next, we spoke with the Municipal Director of Health Services at the Municipal Health Directorate and gathered helpful information about Ghana's health system today compared to past years. He also shared his perspective and expressed his concerns about the role of faith healers in his community.

From there we drove for another hour and a half to a remote rural community where we were able to see the OKB Hope Foundation medical van in action! Here we were also able to meet other volunteers working with the foundation 😀and heard from a couple community members' experiences with the national health insurance, healthcare perceptions, and access to healthcare overall. 

Day 3: Ghana Teams

Today the team headed to the University of Ghana Medical Campus to speak with Professor Yawson, who provided an overview on the healthcare system in Ghana. Nia also joined our trip after her brief stint with COVID! We learned that a challenge for the healthcare system is that most workers in Ghana are informal workers who do not pay taxes so they do not help fund the National Health Insurance System. The burden is disproportionately placed on a few citizens.

We then drove five and a half hours to the city of Kumasi and checked into our new hotel. Halfway we made a rest stop for lunch and ate traditional Ghanaian food. While waiting for dinner at the hotel we discussed the healthcare system and how our teams are positioned to provide recommendations for the OKB Hope Foundation. Then we went to bed early because we are conducting field work tomorrow!

Day 2: Ghana Teams

We started the day with breakfast at the hotel and headed to the National Health Insurance Authority. There we met with several officials in the Private Health Insurance Directorate. We discussed how the National Health Insurance Scheme is financed and the benefits it provides to Ghanaian residents. We then went to the University of Ghana where we met with Professor Joseph Osafo and discussed the role that religious leaders play in healthcare delivery in Ghana, especially in promoting mental health. We learned that 80% of residents of Kumasi go to religious leaders before seeking professional medical care. After the meeting, we went on a tour of the University of Ghana led by Professor Osafo’s assistant Priscilla. Then we had a late lunch together at a restaurant in Accra where everyone tried plantain and jollof rice. Finally, we ended the day doing some team bonding by the pool.

Day 1: Ghana Teams

The team arrived in Accra. After everyone settled in we went to exchange currency and do a little bit of shopping at the mall. We ended the day by eating dinner together at our hotel, where we tried traditional Ghanaian foods like eba and okra soup.