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Ghana is a West African country with 20 million inhabitants. It is an English speaking, peaceful and religious society with a stable government. It is famous for gold, cocoa, and historically, slave trade. Maternal mortality in Ghana is 540 deaths/ 100,000 live births (according to the United Nations Children’s Fund 2004: http://www.unicef.org/sowc04). The leading causes of maternal death are acute hemorrhage, sepsis, pre-eclampsia, obstructed labor and non-hemorrhagic anemia. Ghana will be an outreach site for several years to come and we are recruiting volunteers for teaching trips.
The site visit:
In November 2004, four anesthesiologists visited Ghana to identify opportunities for collaboration to reduce maternal and neonatal death. The preliminary visit consisted of a tour of 3 hospitals to observe staffing, training standards, facilities, equipment availability, and the conduct of anesthesia. The group participated in a 1 day anesthesia seminar on maternal mortality and a 3 day pediatric seminar on neonatal resuscitation. Sixty delegates from southern Ghana attended the courses. The seminars were highly evaluated and the participants requested that this be an annual event. There was very active discussion with anesthesia, obstetrics, pediatrics, nursing and administrative staffs regarding future collaboration. Cultural and local issues impacting health care were also identified; especially delay in parturients receiving timely care. Following the site visit, a 5 year strategic plan was developed for the recruitment of doctors and nurses for yearly on-site training missions. Our primary goal is education; we hope to lower mortality by teaching and collaborating in the acute management of the parturient and newborn. This goal is in accordance with the Ghana health services, the WHO and UN agendas.
 
The Kybele team arrives:
A team of 12 arrived in Accra, Ghana January 18-28, 2006 including Yemi Olufolabi and Holly Muir (Duke), Vernon Ross and Medge Owen (Wake Forest), Wendy Hickman-Gore and Manny Yaboah (Canada), Marge Sedensky (Univ. Hosp. Cleveland), Wilson Chimbira (Univ. Michigan), Dragica Kopic (Croatia) and Cyril Engmann (UNC). Medical conferences were conducted the first 2 days of our visit entitled: “Reducing Maternal and Neonatal Mortalities in Ghanaian Hospitals” and “Care of the Newborn”. The courses were well attended, wonderfully spirited and interactive. The courses also served to better educate the team as to the unique problems affecting health care in Ghana.
Following the conferences, the team was split into 3 groups to work for one week in Korle Bu, Ridge and Tema Hospitals in Accra. We worked side-by-side with Ghanaian doctors and nurses to care for mothers and newborns. According to one of the participants, “The trip was amazing and emotionally stirring. Everyday we faced life and death situations... We quickly came to realize that neonatal resuscitation is a BIG issue there. The nurse midwifes have little training in neonatal resuscitation. If a baby doesn't breath at birth, it usually dies. We successfully resuscitated 4 babies that didn’t breath at birth. The nurses were fascinated with it all, to them, it was as if we were bringing a dead baby back to life! We spent a lot of time on neonatal resuscitation, especially bag/mask ventilation with the nurses”.
We gave numerous lectures and practical demonstrations on neonatal resuscitation and on the management of high risk obstetric problems such as hemorrhage. Spinal anesthesia was safely demonstrated for cesarean section and regional pain relief was provided for laboring women. We were wonderfully received by our hosts. We were visible at the national level in Ghana both through the media and meetings with high ranking officials. The director general of the Ghana Health Service sponsored a dinner for us and personally attended. There is a lot of enthusiasm for a return visit next year.
We also identified (with help from the US Embassy) 2 charities in Ghana that sell handicrafts to support women and children’s causes. These are The Celestial Needy Children’s Program (assistyouth@yahoo.com) and Global Mama’s. Due to purchases from these charities, we have helped to employ 2 women in Ghana and have allowed 3 children to attend school. We want to continue supporting these worthy charities. Update: Kybele has continued to support The Celestial Needy Children's Program by making multiple purchases of merchandise for the "Kybele Store".
Following our visit, Dr. Michael Quaye of Ridge Hospital wrote: “My wonderful and beloved friends, I want to thank all of you for the good work done for our people. We are very grateful. You've shown us that with the little we have we can still achieve much and be safe. I am particularly grateful for the organizational work done in the labor ward and in the theatre. The lectures were excellent and practical, tailored to our needs. I don't know how to thank all of you.”
 
Continued collaboration:
In January 2007 we commenced a 5 year joint collaboration with the Ghana Health Service. Our plan is to establish several Obstetric Centers of Excellence. We hope to reduce by half the number of maternal and neonatal deaths by 2011. Our teams returned in June 2007 and another group is scheduled for early 2008. Kybele is also hosting Ghanaian physicians and Ghana Health Service personnel to Wake Forest University, Duke University, the University of Chapel Hill and the Sara Lee Center for Women's Health at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Click HERE to view a video made by Julie Jenner, a high school student from Texas who recently traveled with Dr. Owen to Ghana. This student was part of the Ghana Linen Drive Project.
The Ghana 2008 January and May reports will be posted soon. Please check back here for the latest updates on our Ghana project. Thank you. View Photo Gallery |
