PMGY Ghana 2016

During my 4 weeks in Ghana with PMGY I was lucky enough to experience several of the projects. I spent most of my time at the Manhyia District Hospital on the Medical Placement and the staff there made it extremely enjoyable, as they were more than happy to pass on their knowledge and answer my questions. The Psychiatric Ward sticks out in my memory as my favourite department as the nurses there were lovely and taught me so much about their job and how mental health is perceived in Ghana. Because of how much I enjoyed this I also spent a couple of days in the Psychiatric Unit at Tafo Hospital on the Mental Health Placement. Here, I was able to see far more consultations and cases as many more patients came through the door every day, which was great! As a side note, at Manhyia I would also recommend the Eye and Diabetes Clinics as well as General Surgery; much was learnt and taken away from my time there. I also spent a few days at the orphanage, where I loved playing and spending time with the kids and even taking some of them out to a swimming pool. Painting a classroom at the school was an equally worthwhile use of my time and allowed me to spend two mornings here and meet some of the children - great fun!
The PMGY team in Ghana were extremely attentive and keen to help me get the most out of my experience. Seth did a great job of answering any questions I had and was also a great workout companion. I say companion; more like personal trainer! His willingness to attend to the needs of the volunteers made myself and others, I am sure, feel so much more comfortable and at home in the volunteer house. Kofi, Sophia, Adwoa, Maria, Cobbinah and Rexford played their part in this as well, making it so that if I was ever unsure about something there was always someone around to ask.
Ghana itself is wonderful country, filled with friendly people who are not afraid to strike up a conversation with you. It is the first African country I have been to and so was unlike anything I had experienced before. 'Ghana time' took some getting used to but whatever I was waiting for, usually food, was often worth the wait.
I had a great time and highly recommend a trip to Ghana with PMGY.