03/28/2023 Travel Report 4, Ghana Trip
We are stuck in endless repetition like in the movie "Groundhog Day", That's about how we feel after still not getting our containers out of the port. To change that, we had a long communication with various people late yesterday evening and in particular found a new contact person. This is Mr. Rexy Lovell (Rex) Mensah whom we met this morning in the office of Professor Professor Daniel Obeng-Ofori, the Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Ghana in Fiapre, Sunyani.
With Rex, an experienced businessman, we discussed how best to proceed in this messy situation. He advised us to change the addressee of the delivery. In a conference call with "our" logistics specialist at Hartmann International Andre Schulze, we assured ourselves that this option did exist, and that we could indeed go this route for a relatively small fee. Andre assured us that he would take care of the necessary paperwork. As soon as these have arrived in Ghana, Rex can become active. We hope that this will be the case tomorrow and that the containers can then be taken on the arduous journey to Sunyani on Wednesday night.
After this important meeting, we looked forward to visiting the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Hospital. There we were already expected. The hospital is to receive several beds from us. Birgit Mayers-Carow, who worked at this facility for seven weeks last year for her master's thesis, has campaigned for this. We were very surprised at the impression she made there. Everyone but really everyone was incredibly happy to see her again.
SDA Hospital is a church-run, 99-bed hospital offering a wide range of treatments. Emphasis is placed on emergency care, prenatal care and obstetrics clinic, internal medicine and surgery, and also the public health department.
Visit with the University's Vice Canncellor and Rexy Lovell Mensah
Impressive for us was the pediatric department, which we could visit. It was unbelievable to see how and with what aids the premature babies are cared for there. An example of this is the homemade incubator with heat source and oxygen supply shown in the picture. It is always astonishing and admirable to see the means with which our African colleagues make health care possible and maintain it.
Then in the early afternoon we had the opportunity to visit the Regional Director of the Ghananian Health Service (GHS) of the Bono Region, Dr Kofi Amo-Kodieh. In an intensive exchange of views, which was also attended by several high-ranking department heads, we came to a common assessment of the situation in the Bong region.
Dr. Kodie used a self-sketched map of Ghana to explain to us why aid supplies usually do not reach the western part of Ghana. The representatives of the GHS were all the more grateful that Hita e.V. consciously wanted to become active in this region as well. We explained our Hub&Spoke approach and how important the role of the Catholic University of Ghana is in this.
Following this meeting, we continued on to the Abesin Health Care Centre. It is always surprising how warmly we are welcomed at these facilities. As in the SDA hospital, we also conducted interviews there, which you will be able to view on our YouTube channel soon.
Inkubator im Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Hospital
The day ended with a visit to the Dumasua Health Care Centre. There we were welcomed into a top-rated facility in the courtyard. We were almost embarrassed to have kept the staff waiting so long. However, this feeling was quickly taken away from us, the director Vivian Opoku-Kyeremeh, an experienced nurse, guided us through "her" facility with an enormous euphoria, so that no bad feelings could arise with us at all. In an open and intensive exchange of experiences, we learned a lot about the management of such small-scale facilities. When asked what makes it different from other facilities, she only said "Leadership!" We can only agree with this after visiting this facility.
Visit to Dumasua Health Centre