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Posted at 4:59pm Wednesday 17th December 2008
Blog Eight – A round up
Our last few days in Ghana were a combination of visiting more schools and villages to give out gifts, and our hosts showing us some of Ghana’s best attractions. They wanted to ensure the team had an enjoyable last couple days so we would be keen to return and be part of Operation Hernia again.
Posted at 11:50am Monday 8th December 2008
Days Seven and Eight - the weekend
Following a fairly exhausting week’s operating, our hosts in Ghana wanted to show the medical team some of what they called ‘real Africa’. We took a long drive west. Tourism in this area of Ghana is really confined to backpackers and the more ambitious holidaymaker. So we were rare enough to attract a lot of attention as we drove through villages. Children, especially, were very excited to see us, waiving or giving a thumbs up sign as we passed.
Posted at 5:06pm Friday 5th December 2008
Day Six – Friday
First stop for Selva at GPHA – Takoradi was the ward, where he caught up with Freddie. Yesterday, 50-year-old Freddie underwent bilateral and umbilical hernia operations and the team wanted to check on his progress. Freddie was delighted to see them. He was doing well, was pain free and would be allowed home the next day.
Posted at 11:37am Friday 5th December 2008
Day Five - Thursday
The fact that the surgeons had requested more cases yesterday did not go unnoticed. Today was a very, very busy day. Magdi’s team at the Former European Hospital saw seven patients but actually completed twelve procedures. The patients were aged between 25 and 70 years. One case was particularly challenging and had to be treated under general anaesthetic. A 70-year-old man called Essian had a huge hernia on the left-hand-side, a recurrent hernia on the right and a medium-sized umbilical hernia. Because there were three hernias to treat at once, Magdi had to come up with a way to treat all the hernias with one incision and only one mesh – this would hopefully reduce the potential for further weakness in the bowel.
Posted at 1:09pm Thursday 4th December 2008
Day Four – Wednesday
Wednesday morning brought a lot of excitement for one of the Leighton team. As Selva arrived at GPHA – Takoradi, Dr Bernard Boateng-Duah had just finishing an emergency caesarean section. The Chief Medical Officer for GPHA –Takoradi told Selva there was another C-Section due straight away and would Selva scrub and assist?
Posted at 5:16pm Wednesday 3rd December 2008
Day three - Tuesday
Dr John, the GP travelling with the group, had an early start. Up and out by 7.15am and travelling west towards Dixcove. There had been a text to say that Jamie, the two-year-old boy from Akynim he had looked at on Sunday, had been taken into hospital and put on a drip. Brian Dixon, the Operations Director for Operation Hernia in Ghana, and Dr John arrived at Dixcove Hospital and asked to see the child. There was a little confusion before Jamie was finally located, asleep next to his mother in the corner of a children’s ward.
Posted at 2:55pm Tuesday 2nd December 2008
Day Two – Monday
Mr Magdi Hanafy, consultant surgeon and the force behind Leighton’s involvement with Operation Hernia, woke at 4.30am this morning. He didn’t have to be up until 6.30, but he was so full of energy and enthusiasm for what the day had in store that he couldn’t sleep any longer.
Posted at 1:53pm Monday 1st December 2008
Day One - Sunday
After an 18 hour journey, which included an introduction to some of the hairier roads in Ghana, we finally arrived in Takoradi. The journey was pretty straight forward and we even managed to leave Heathrow and arrive in Accra with the same enormous number of bags and boxes of medical equipment.
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