“On my very first day in Baptist Medical Center in Ghana, the surgeon (who was my preceptor) visited a baby in the NICU who was found on the side of the road a few days before,” writes an INMED Graduate Diploma learner. “A neighbor had heard a noise, found the newborn baby bundled up, and ran to tell the doctor who had been shopping nearby with her sister. I took care of the little baby during my entire stay. He had a few small medical issues but was a healthy newborn when I left.”
The rural community of Nalerigu, northern Ghana, West Africa, is home to the Baptist Medical Center. 400-500 outpatients are seen in each clinic, and the hospital of 120 beds usually runs at over capacity. People coming to Baptist Medical Center are often impoverished. Some of the most common medical problems encountered are malaria, malnutrition, pneumonia, tropical ulcers, hypertension and anemia.
The medical staff of Baptist Medical Center consists of two to three full time Ghanian and American physicians. In addition, a number of other American and European physicians visit for short periods each year. English is the spoken language of Ghana. The Center also supports a public health ministry that sponsors rural clinics where villagers receive immunizations, health teaching, prenatal clinics and under five clinics. Baptist Medical Center is one of INMED most popular Service-Learning Sites.
Many INMED learners continue to feel a close connection to their International Service-Learning Site after departing. A few weeks later this learner wrote, “Just yesterday, I received WhatsApp messages that the baby had been adopted. His new family had all, separately, prayed for a new baby. I am religiously Hindu, but I found such a deep spiritual connection with the many Christians around me. I have begun to understand the connection that many create with their higher power, especially when they have little else to rely on. I have a great respect for the people of Ghana and especially for those who work so hard to serve others at that hospital.”
INMED Graduates often discover that their experience informs their careers for years to come. She concludes, “I can’t wait to go back and continue helping in any way that I can.”