Ghana Volunteering-Health- Nsaba Clinic

Description

Nsaba Health clinic is a rural medical center that is dedicated to providing Ghanaians in the Agnoa Nsaba region with health care services. The mission statement for the Nsaba Health Clinic is to provide quality health care to every patient that comes to their clinic. The staff at Nsaba Health Clinic try to go above and beyond to help people in need of medical care by providing accurate diagnosis, accurate prescriptions and ensuring that if counselling is required that the patient is able to receive these services. Although the Nsaba facility is small and there are few staff, the role that this clinic has in providing health care is critical. Increased accessibility to health care for residents in the Agnoa Nsaba region is a major priority for this center as they now provide health services to over 50 surrounding rural communities.
Nsaba clinic was founded in 1985 by the Ghanaian government. The reason the government provided funding for this project was because they realized that the need for more hospitals and clinics in rural communities was starting to increase. The Ghanaian Government decided that the community of Nsaba would be a good location for the new clinic because the area was easily accessible to the surrounding community and because it is located in a densely populated area that comprises of a large number of small rural communities that surround Nsaba. Since the establishment of Nsaba clinic the staff have created a number of public health awareness programs and do their best in treating each patient with the resources that they have.
Like many countries, the health care system in Ghana has challenges in both urban centers and rural communities, however, this clinic is focused on rural health challenges as this organization is located in a rural community.
Nsaba clinic along with many clinics in rural areas of Ghana are faced with various challenges to meet their mandate of providing quality health care to all that visit their clinic. The challenges are vast, however, the primary ones that the staff at Nsaba feel are very important to address include: education on services provided, increasing accessibility to communities where no clinic or medical staff are located, the need for improved equipment and better inventory management.
Many people throughout Ghana are uncertain of medical services provided by hospitals and clinics. Elders in many communities can remember the days when it was a long way for them to travel to receive medical attention from a doctor or nurse and therefore most of the time alternative forms of medicines were used. This practice happened throughout all of Ghana for centuries and are still used today. The alternative forms of medicine often include combinations of different plants for certain illnesses, different washes to disinfect wounds and different items put together to make liquid syrups to help stop fever or reduce malaria. These alternative forms of medicine are easily accessible and more affordable then traveling to seek medical attention. Although it is very innovative and necessary to find alternative and affordable medical solutions, this has had a very negative impact on how some people view the current Ghanaian health care system.
Since individuals rarely sought out medical care in a hospital or clinic because of the distance they would have to travel or the expensive bills that they would have to pay; they would only go if they were very ill or had been sick for a long time. As a result, when an individual did go it meant that the stage of whatever illness they had was usually very severe. Many people can tell stories of family members or friends who went to the hospital and died shortly after arriving because they had not received the medical attention that they needed before this stage. As a result, some elders in rural and urban communities caution their children and grandchildren from receiving medical attention when they are sick as they have little faith that staff at the hospital or clinic will be able to effectively solve their medical issues and in the end they will end up with large bills while not receiving correct medical advice.
The staff of Nsaba clinic are trying to demonstrate to the community that services that they offer do help to prevent diseases from escalating if an individual seeks medical attention as soon as he or she develops symptoms. They have done this by creating outreach programs where they go to very remote communities and provide educational seminars, free check-ups to anyone and when they have the resources, provide free medicine and vaccinations. In addition, they conduct talks in schools to help bring awareness to children and teachers about the various services they provide and how they can help treat illness such as malaria, yellow fever and typhoid.
Another challenge is that throughout the country, many communities have no medical facilities in their area and in some cases there are clinics but they are unable to deal with more complex issues due to lack of resources or training. As a result, a person must travel to clinics like Nsaba to receive the medical care they need. Individuals must walk or take public transportation (if it comes to their location) and commute sometimes more than an hour before they are at a medical center. This is problematic for many who are ill as walking in the heat can increase other challenges like dehydration or heat stroke on top of whatever disease they may have.
This also causes an issue for clinics like Nsaba that currently provide services to over 50 rural communities in their area. The patient load continues to increase but the staff, medical resources and facility does not. Therefore, the clinic is often overcrowded with people who require medical attention, however, there is not enough staff or medical resources to attend to everyone. Although, the staff at Nsaba clinic have implemented great systems to help address periods when there is an overflow of patients, at times it is very difficult to provide adequate care to everyone.
Access to update medical technology is very difficult to obtain especially for rural clinics. The staff at Nsaba clinic have basic medical tools that they use but really could use some better equipment and more supplies. There is also the problem of lack of consistent electricity therefore many items do not work when needed. The clinic is in constance need of funds to enable them to update their equipment and train staff how to use it.
Medical supplies are delivered to rural clinics by various government agencies and NGO's like UNICEF. When supplies do arrive the staff are overjoyed as it means they have the much needed supplies to provide better health care. The challenge is that supplies are not received on a regular schedule, therefore, better inventory management systems would be very beneficial in the hope that the clinics could inform these agencies well in advance before they run out of supplies. This is a massive project because most rural clinics do not have a computer or access to internet. So the only way to inform someone regarding inventory and supplies is by telephone and therefore it can take time before someone reads the inventory request form and hopefully is able to provide the necessary supplies.
The services that are provide at Nsaba Health clinic include: basic consultations, family planning, consultations, malaria treatments, pre-natal and post-natal care, laboratory services, burn center, public health out-reach seminars, physiotherapy, basic gynecology services, a pharmacy, HIV/AIDS testing and counselling if required, educational materials and an emergency room. In addition to treating patients who require medical assistance, the staff at Nsaba Clinic are trying to teach the community members in their area about ways to prevent diseases and to encourage people to visit the hospital if they have questions or concerns about their health.
The Nsaba Health Clinic has been very success at providing outreach programs for communities who are unable to reach a hospital, provide on-going community outreach programs to promote the services they provide and the importance of coming in for early diagnosis and have been able to manage to provide health care with limited resources and funding.

Why does this organization need volunteers?

The Nsaba Health Clinic is responsible for providing quality health care to the people of Nsaba and its neighboring villages. The clinic offers a number of services including a general medical ward, maternity and outreach services; health promotion talks to schools, community groups and outreach programs to rural villages that do not have a medical center in their community.
Public rural health clinics play an important role in the African Health Care System. They provide individuals who may not otherwise be able to access health care because they cannot afford to travel into the city or afford the hospital fees. Also, because the doctors and nurses are seen around the villages frequently, the local people feel more comfortable talking to them and are more likely to share all of their symptoms with the doctors. This makes diagnose and treatment more effective.
The Nsaba Clinic is in need of volunteers who are willing to help with patient care, work with the nurses and doctors to provide consultations and who are interested in public health outreach programs. This clinic is in need of enthusiastic volunteers as they are under-staffed and would really benefit from having extra people to help provide better care.

What tasks will you be required to fulfil?

Volunteers will be able to experience all aspects of how a rural clinic operates. Specific tasks include weighing patients, taking vital signs, giving injections (if medically trained), working in the lab, assisting in the pharmacy, caring for patients on the wards (giving water, compresses, assisting nurses), and updating the medical records.
Volunteers will also have the chance to travel with the clinic staff on outreach services to the surrounding rural villages. This will be a great chance for volunteers to explore the area and to experience rural life. Duties on these visits may include organizing patient flow, weighing babies, and providing first aid training.
The clinic also does outreach services to local schools and community groups. Volunteers will be able to create and give presentations on hygiene, nutrition, sexual health, HIV, malaria, and any other topic that the volunteer and clinic staff feel is relevant and will benefit the locals.

Requirements:
Volunteers with a medical background, already nurses, Doctors or who have an interest in the medical profession, are encouraged to apply for this placement.

Requirements

Language

English

Upon arrival in country our staff will pick you up at the airport and return you to our Orientation Center for a safety briefing and general country orientation. For this program you are required to complete one - 4 weeks of language training and orientation which is included in the cost of the program. At the end of that week you will transfer to your placement to begin volunteering. Our staff are available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week should you require help of any kind.