I was privileged to accompany Dr. James Aikins and his team on the 2007 International Healthcare Volunteer’s medical mission trip to Kumasi, Ghana. On this enlightening trip I was able to observe how the team changed the lives of many individuals. One of these was Isufu.
Isufu is a security guard at a small Kumasi bank. He has a wife and two children and lives on the outskirts of Kumasi. Every day he wakes up early to walk to work, which is nearly two miles away from his home. This fact alone may seem like a daunting task to those of us in America who have become reliant on our cars and other means of transportation. However for Isufu, every step he takes causes him pain and agony. Isufu has elephantiasis in his left arm and right leg caused by a parasite known as filariasis. The filariasis also blocked his lymphatic vessels causing his scrotum to fill with waste and bodily fluid. When our American doctors first saw the hydrocele, it was the size of a football.
This disease which is almost never seen in America is common in Ghana. According to one Ghanaian doctor he had once seen a hydrocele even larger than the one Isufu had. However, in Ghana, there was little which could be done to treat such disorders. They lacked the techniques and the supplies to provide treatment.
When Dr. Atabek performed the surgery, I was fortunate enough to be his surgical assistant. During the surgery on one side of the operating table were Dr. Atabek and I and on the other were a Ghanaian doctor and his nurse. During the operation the cooperation between the two doctors was impressive. Dr. Atabek would show the Ghanaian Doctor different techniques which he could use to treat the patient and the Ghanaian doctor would watch and follow Dr. Atabek’s advice. With both doctors working on the patient, the surgery was quickly completed with more than a liter of waste removed.
A few days after the surgery as we were making rounds, I went to see Isufu to observe how he was doing. When I entered his room, he had a big smile on his face and was extremely excited and talkative. He was truly thankful for the medical intervention which had brought him such relief. Even better was the fact that now the Ghanaian doctor could treat more cases such as this, and help alleviates this ailment for many others. It is clear that the 2007 medical mission trip was extremely successful. By both, treating patients and teaching doctors, we left a lasting affect on Ghana that will help better the lives of many.
- Timothy Joseph Beggs, Student Volunteer, 2007 IHCV, Medical Mission to Kumasi, Ghana
The wide variety of volunteer medical personnel with expertise in different areas was very valuable and allowed a team approach to the care of patients. It facilitated comprehensive care and increased the likelihood for successful treatment. This enhanced teaching and wider dissemination of knowledge at Central Regional Hospital.
I was personally very gratified to be able to participate and provide gynecologic care overall, especially for the female patients who suffered from large tumors and masses that severely disabled these women and in some instances were life threatening if not treated. Separate from this, the young patients who had obstetric fistulas, whether they involved the bladder or the rectum were particularly in need of help and wee taken care of on this trip.
The work that is left is enormous and it is unfortunately rare that programs once started continue year after year. Far more important than this trip is the need for continued yearly effort. The hospital and the community that it serves clearly looks forward with anticipation to the arrival of the IHCV medical volunteers every year and the knowledge, expertise, and supples that they bring.
- Saifuddin T. Mama, M.D., 2007 Medical Mission to Cape Coast, Ghana
