FUNDRAISING UPDATE: Support a hospital in Ghana

I wanted to share an update (from my wife Ellen) for all of those that supported her fundraiser. The original post to which this is an update, can be found here.

TLDR: Thank you all, I feel so incredibly humbled by your generosity! Your amazing donations are going to make the kind of difference to the A&E department that will last years!

YOU?have helped me raise ￡2,505. This is 38,978.15 Ghanaian Cedis!

For context, a much-needed BP monitor is 700 cedis, and a pulse oximeter is 320 cedis! A reusable leg box splint (adult) to stabilise those fractures we see as a result of the many RTCs here is 950 cedis!

As you all now know, I have been following my dream of becoming a paramedic over the last three and a half years. Last year I asked for support to help me fund a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe, and practice, in a Ghanaian hospital for my elective placement. The generosity I received has enabled me to just do that, and I am writing this email from the student house in Takoradi, Ghana, and for that, I am eternally grateful!

In my first two weeks, I have been working in the A&E department of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital and to say I have experienced mixed emotions is a massive understatement! In a single six-hour shift I have felt: excitement; trepidation; relief; sadness; anger; accomplishment; elation; pity; frustration and even disgust! From the very first time I walked through the door, I was faced with an 8-year-old girl who had an unstable open distal tib/fib fracture and we were manipulating and cleaning this for her with very little pain relief on board, she was an absolute trooper!?

None of the patients here are ‘a little bit ill’. Financial constraints often mean that by the time they come through our doors, they are SO poorly, that they are often close to death and a large percentage don’t make it to their second day in A&E. I have never experienced so much death in such a short amount of time, and some of this has been unnecessary. Even writing this in hindsight is incredibly emotional.

As a healthcare professional, it is very easy to judge the system here. It would be easy to walk around and tell them what they should be doing, and how we do it back home. The truth is they have their way of doing things, and they have a very different attitude towards death, which I have thoroughly enjoyed observing. I have learnt so much from these amazing doctors and nurses, some things about the management and treatment of patient conditions, but mostly about making the most of what little resources they have available to them. Upcycling items to be used again to reduce their waste, like breaking up used giving sets to use the ‘pipe’ as 3 tourniquets, GENIUS!?

This busy 23-bed department, not taking into account the A&E ward (15 beds), currently has ONE working manual BP monitor and ONE (temperamental) pulse oximeter. These need to be used for regular observations of the patients, as well as initial triage of new ones. This means that assessment and treatment are more delayed than they need to be. You often have to go looking for the piece of equipment you need to complete a task. There is such a shortage that nurses have been known to put their hands in their pockets to help. These are the same nurses that do not get overtime, and yet regularly work extra hours each shift.

I decided that I wanted to help in some small way, and I asked Sister Regina to give me a list of things that they needed so that I could donate something to them. She wrote me a list, and I have added things that I believe they need. The list was long and included big things, and I suddenly felt bad for asking as I realised I may not be able to help, so I almost fell off my chair when I got the prices and found that the entire list (1 of each) would come to around ￡1000! Suddenly helping them felt doable. It was a conversation with my wonderful, ever-supportive husband who suggested that maybe we could do more than just give our little bit, and the fundraiser was born.

The amount raised in such a short amount of time has blown me away. Your kind thoughts, messages and generous donations are deeply humbling and I cannot thank you all enough. the total currently sits at ￡2,505, which is 38,978.15 Ghanaian Cedis. We have smashed the target and will be able to provide the department with MULTIPLES?of the following items: electronic BP monitors, manual BP monitors, Pulse oximeters, Suturing sets, Tympanic thermometers, wheelchairs, dressing sets, drip stands, paediatric ambubags, suction catheters, plaster, disposables gloves, syringes, cannulas, dressing scissors, adult leg box splints, paediatric box splints, oropharyngeal airways, ward screens, batteries and pens!

To be able to process the donations and organise the order and delivery of the donations to the department I am going to need to close the fundraiser. I will do this at 2200?this evening. Again, I want to thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for your kindness and generosity I will update you all on the final order.

I want you to meet some of the amazing people (below is Sister Regina with me - she runs A&E) I have been working with. Their work ethic, thoughtful use of resources and bright attitude, often in the face of immense sadness has left me humbled. I have absolutely loved working alongside them all and am grateful for the warm welcome I received and their willingness for me to be involved.

My journey here has humbled, inspired and triggered me. My love and respect for the NHS have grown exponentially, and now my future practice will include a more thoughtful approach to resource usage. I hope that you also take something away from this too.

With all my thanks,

Ellen x