KATH

For the past couple days, I've been getting acquainted with the hospital I will be working at, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. For those of you interested, Komfo Anokye was a High Priest that facilitated the start of the Asante (Ashanti) people. I was able to enter the Sword Room, where Komfo Anokye drove a sword into the ground and proclaimed the warring tribes of Ghana as one, the Asante. The powerful unity of the Asante is expressed through the immovability of the sword, which has never been removed, though many have tried (even Muhammad Ali!).

I went into the hospital and met the research assistant I would be working with, Kofi. On Thursdays, KATH has an outpatient clinic. I learned about the layout of the the consulting areas, where I will be screening and enrolling patients for the ORDISS study. This study examines those suffering from sickle cell anemia, and the toll it takes on their body over time by analyzing their blood and serum. Sickle cell is huge problem in Ghana, and carries a severe stigma. Many believe that sickle-cell sufferers will die before 18, therefore many parents refuse to pay to educate children suffering from this disease. I sat in a Sickle Cell Association of Ghana, where sufferers can meet each other and learn about the misconceptions surrounding the disease. It was amazing to see the relief and hope these meetings provide for their members.

After the hospital, I walked around the business district of Kumasi, Adum, with Kofi. I bought a new small phone, and a SIM card. Together they were $18..not too shabby. Adum is sprawling, and full of shops and restaurants. There are very few supermarkets: most of the shopping is done with street vendors. I didn't get to try my hand at bargaining very much but I'm sure I will soon. Jet lag was still hitting me very hard, so as soon as I got back to KCCR around 5 PM I was out....until 3 AM.

The next day, I went back to the hospital. Because there is no driver today, I went there via taxi and tro-tro (with a friend so I knew where I was going). A tro-tro is a modified van, fitted with extra seats. It is often old and rickety, but a lot of fun to ride. The driver's mate sits next to the door, and stands at every stop, hanging out the window/door to let everyone know the destination and the amount of open seats. After asking to get off ("Missi wo 'destination'") I walked to the hospital through Adum. I saw an ambulance pull in and I had to wait and see how the EMTs/paramedics did their business. It's actually very similar to the way it's done in the States, though I was surprised when the paramedic let 8 family members into the back....

 On Friday, the pediatric HIV clinic opens. Children of all ages wait for hours (very often five to six hours) to see a pediatrician. Although it was hard to see all the kids stricken with this terrible disease, it was comforting to see how hard everyone at KATH works to make sure these kids are eventually seen, counseled, and taken care of. On Fridays, I will help screen and enroll patients in a study called Sankofa. This is a HIV disclosure study. Essentially, the vast majority of these children were infected because the mother had HIV as well. As you can imagine, with the societal stigma associated with HIV, it is difficult for the mother to know when/how to tell the child about their HIV status. This study is assessing whether counseling of the caregivers can make disclosure an easier process, while analyzing the underlying reasons why parents find it so difficult to tell their child they have HIV.

After touring the clinic and working on some data entry for Sankofa, I went to the medical school nearby to have lunch. I ate a delicious dish called fufu with goat soup. I also had Sobolo on the side, a sparkling hibiscus drink. In Ghana, it is traditional to eat soup with your hands, and that's exactly what I did (don't worry I have Pepto-Bismol ready and waiting). I pulled the maize apart like bread and ate the soup. Before and after, you wash your hands at the table using your personal water bowl and soap. After lunch, I drove around Kumasi with Kofi, and then headed back. Tomorrow, I will have dinner at his place...and I think its going to be fufu! I'll let you know soon...