By Robert Griffin
The Ho Mobile Clinic is now successfully completed from our point of view. It is operating on its own budget, funded by the Ghana Department of Health.
The Ho Teaching Hospital provides the medical team to go on the rural visits, and the Diocese of Ho provides a priest to accompany each visit with spiritual and mental health guidance.
The project was audited by a Cadre member of the Rotary Foundation, our largest funder of the $283,000 project.
He gave the project a very high rating, and stated that it could become a Project of Scale, meaning that it could become a $2,000,000 project to provide ten clinics for an area such as Western Africa.
The Ho Teaching Hospital sends us quarterly reports of the clinic’s activity. During the first six months of this year of operation, the clinic has served 3,811 patients — far beyond our initial expectations.
Of those seen, 1,050 patients were critically ill, and they were referred to the hospital in Ho for treatment. We do not have the number of patients who actually went to Ho, the capital of the Volta Region.
The clinic visits consisted of eye clinics, ear-nose-and throat, pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, and dental.
I had the opportunity to go out on a clinic run a year ago when I was in Ghana. The clinic visited the rural village of Peke for a pediatric, family care and internist clinic.
An advance team had been sent to the village to ask permission from the chief to take the clinic to the village. Notice was sent out to the villagers not just in Peke, but in surrounding villages as well.
The village has no electricity, no cell service, nor any medical personnel.
On the day of the clinic, over 300 people arrived. One elderly woman told me it was the first time a doctor had ever been to the village.
The hospital had sent five doctors — each of a different specialty, — plus eight nurses, three pharmacists, three lab technicians, and 12 support staff, including people to sign up patients for Ghana National Health service, to set up the clinic tents, and drivers.
It operated like a MASH unit, with tents for various activities, and the mobile clinic for the lab.
The system was very organized and efficient. We could learn a thing or two from the Africans!
People queued up as they arrived at the clinic site. They were met by an attendant who asked if they had their National Health Card. If not (and most didn’t) they were sent to register and have their picture taken for their card.
Then they were triaged by a nurse. She determined the specialist they were to see, and they were sent to one of the lines to see the doctor.
Once seen by the doctor, they could be sent to the lab technicians for a test, such as urine analysis, hematology analysis, disease testing such as diabetes, typhoid, cholera, or malaria.
They then immediately returned to the doctor for diagnosis and care. Most patients then were sent to the pharmacy tent, where they immediately had their prescription(s) filled.
By six o’clock that evening, everyone had been seen by a doctor, and they left with medical advice and often with a filled prescription(s) in hand. This scenario is being repeated throughout the Volta and Oti regions.
As a Diocese, we can be very proud of this Companion Diocese project. God has used us to look after His people in an area that had no medical service prior to this project.
I hope to return to the Diocese of Ho, Ghana, in the new year, to do another needs assessment to determine how they can be assisted in the future. Please keep the people of the Diocese of Ho in our prayers.
Companion Diocese Committee members:
• Canon (of Ho) Robert Griffin
• Archbishop David Edwards
• Gisele McKnight
• Robert Taylor
• Lilian Ketch
• Cheryl Jacobs
Robert Griffin is chair of the Diocese Companion Committee. He lives and worships on Grand Manan Island.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
1. People make their way from triage to the various tents according to their health needs during a visit from the mobile medical clinic. One elderly woman noted it was the first time a doctor had ever come to her village.
2. Patients wait for medicines at the pharmacy tent.
3. A young man is seen by health-care professionals.
4. Canon Robbie Griffin with the mobile medical clinic in the Diocese of Ho. Robbie was the main organizer of the campaign to raise money for the clinic. Bishop Matthias of Ho honoured him with the title of lay canon a year ago.
Robbie Griffin photos