IHE: Ghana

Ghana is sub-Saharan African's first country, gaining independence from England in 1957. Formerly called the Gold Coast, it is located along the coast line of West Africa. The rotation will be in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city, with a population of around 1 million. Kumasi is the former capital of the Ashanti empire, one of Africa's most notable pre-colonial states. Most of Kumasi's people are engaged in small businesses and trading. The people in the surrounding rural areas are primarily engaged in non-mechanized farming, with the principal crops being cassava, plantains and yams.

The rotation is based at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the associated Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), both in Kumasi. The hospital has 800 beds and is one of the two university-affiliated hospitals in Ghana. Both institutions are active in training medical students and have a range of post-graduate training programs. Both have outreach activities in community health and training that encompass the northern two-thirds of the country. Students from several European countries, including the Netherlands and Germany, often rotate through KATH. UW and KNUST-KATH have had growing links for the past 10 years.

To learn more about health issues in Ghana, you may want to review some of these papers.

Clerkships available

* Medicine
* Surgery
* OBGYN
* Pediatrics

Foreign Language

None required. Approximately 40 local languages are spoken. English is the language of instruction at the University and the language of interaction and record keeping at the hospitals. The principal local language in Kumasi is Twi. Learning some Twi will help with interactions in town, at the markets and while traveling.

Requirements

1. 10 minute presentation for members of the UWSOM administration and Puget Sound Partners for Global Health upon your return to the United States.
2. 5-10 digital photos of yourself with patients and staff on site. Be sure to ask permission from patients and staff before taking any photos.
3. Complete and turn in your activities diary, Evaluation form, receipts and Expense Report form and receipts to Daren Wade, Program Manager, Health Sciences Global Training Resource Center, C-314 Health Sciences Building, Box 356355, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.

Optional

1. Public health outreach: To be arranged by the student upon arrival in Ghana. Contact persons will be provided. May be able to participate in field work of the Community Medicine program.

Travel

* Visas are required for travel to Ghana. To apply for a student visa, submit an application, passport photos taken within the past 3 months, recent bank statement, documentation of a return air ticket, a letter of invitation from KNUST-KATH, $20 (cash, money order, cashier's check or certified bank check), and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For more information, see the U. S. State Department and the Embassy of Ghana.)
* Valid certificate of yellow fever immunization is required and you will need to present it upon arrival in Ghana.

Housing

Students may be housed with families, in university housing, or in private apartments.

Safety

You will not be provided with protective TB masks at the hospital. It is important that you bring your own NIOSH-certified particulate filter respirator. A list of NIOSH-approved N95 disposable particulate respirators (including supplier/manufacturer and contact numbers) may be found here.

Traffic accidents are the major cause of injury or death for students in overseas programs. Read more about how to protect yourself at the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) website. The ASIRT has compiled Road Travel Reports for 150+ countries. You can order copies of these reports at no charge. The U. S. State Department also provides safety suggestions. Finally, you may find this recent article in the New York Times helpful.

In Ghana, the safest mode of transportation is STC buses.

Budget

You are required to purchase all items outlined in the budget. You must bring with you needlestick prophylaxis and other listed supplies. This is NOT optional.

This budget is approximate. We have done our best to estimate the costs students might incur. If your costs exceed the stipend you are given, these costs will be your responsibility to cover. If you underspend the budget allocated for a particular item, you may apply the excess funds to any other item in the budget except food. The amount allocated for food is not intended to cover all your food expenses.

Telephone/Internet

There are many communications centers in Kumasi where you will be able to make phone calls. You may also choose to rent a cell phone (available at the hotels in Kumasi). Internet cafes are located in Queen's Hall on campus, as well as throughout the city.