But in other news, I really do have Strep Throat, and a heinous cough to go with it. This was the diagnosis I received yesterday after two weeks of my body crumbling to pieces with no explanation (pains in lower back, heachaches, neckaches, heartaches--haha, oh I'm only joking, I don't miss you that much--fatigue (yep, double quotations... falling asleep on tro-tro's? in taxi's? whenever an adult started speaking to me in a classroom setting.. I swear, that's a symptom. Anyways, yes all of the above), loss of appetite, sore throat, etc., etc.). (Clearly I hate starting new sentences and I can only speak in long, tangent-filled phrases). So I finally decided to test out the Ghanaian health services, and I have nothing too exciting to report. I went to a nice and pricey place and it was pretty standard. I walked in, filled out a little form, sat and waited. Then they called my name and I went to a different waiting room, with more people in it. Then they called people in to talk to the doctor. The wait was nothing horrendous, but apparently it was just tteerrrrriiibbbllleeee for this one white guy, because he walked in, asked everyone if they were waiting to see the doctor (duh) and then asked the nurse also. She told him there were all these people before him and wouldn't let him skip the line. I couldn't believe it, there was an 11 year old girl who clearly had a bad case of malaria lying on the couch with her dad fanning her, and a woman nearly passed out because she was so exhausted from something and this guy thinks he should get to skip ahead of everyone. Oh those crazy foreigners. So finally I went in to see the doctor (who was a Ghanaian man) and he asked me to sit down and then just stared at me blank faced. So I just started telling him my symptoms and he did a few things, listened to my breathing, wrote some things down and sent me for some tests. I knew I had a bladder infection (the concepts of privacy and confidentiality don't exist to me anymore), and I was worried because of my horrible back pain that I had a kidney infection. So I got a urine test and a blood test. I went and paid for the lab tests, and then sat in the waiting room to get the blood test. I hear, from behind the closed door "MIIIISSSSS ELIZABETH" and the lab doctor (also Ghanaian) called me in and took my blood. Pretty uneventful. They told me to come back in an hour for the first test, the next day for the second test and three days later for the third. I decided to just come back the next day and it was a new doctor (also Ghanaian, muuuccchhhh more engaging and responsive). Then I told him I had a sore throat, he looked at it and gave me a bunch of prescriptions. So it seems that I have a bladder infection and strep throat.
THE SHORT VERSION: I paid $37 to see the doctor, $51 for lab tests, $45 for three prescriptions (antibiotics for bladder infection and strep throat, and special throat lozenges).
For Ghanaians though, there is government health care, which most people have and I believe it's about 10 GH cedis a year ($10 USD). Although sadly, some people can't even afford that. Also, from people we have talked to, sometimes the hospitals don't really follow the healthcare rules and will charge them for things that should be free. For example, all maternal/pregnancy care is supposed to be free, but people have reported being charged for it. That's why about 60% of Ghanaians use traditional herbal medicine, which is great for some things, but pretty ineffective for others. When you talk to Ghanaians though, it seems they have all been taught that self-medicating is really dangerous, which is great in some cases, but in other cases it just leads to unnecessary crowding in hospitals because people will go in just for a headache or something. Although, I would say most Ghanaians go straight to the pharmacy when they start getting sick and you can get anything here without a prescription. Also, they'll usually assume that any headache is Malaria, and treat it right away so it isn't much of an issue for them (unless, obviously, they can't afford to treat it, or they don't realize what it is). So there's my brief and inconclusive run-down of healthcare in Ghana.
On a completely unrelated topic, I've been meaning to write about some of the funny signs I've seen here that I wish I had pictures of (I could just carry my camera more...). Here we go (as a preface: most cars have writing on the back in these large yellow sqwiggly sticker letters.. Also, most stores have some random religious thing included in the title):
Advertisement: for sweet and condensed milk--"FINALLY... milk just got creamier"
Advertisement: for an at home treadmill--"Get in shape with this Home Jim" (Jim? Gym? Same thing)
Written on the back of a Tro-tro: "No Condition is Permanent" with an American flag below.... Ouch.
Store Name: "Jesus Finger Furniture Ent."
Store Name: "Black Man Fast Food" right next to "Black Man Hair Cut"
Advertisement for this Product: "E-Zwich" (it just pisses me off, do they want you to say "E-Z switch?" because that doesn't work, but the other options are "E Zwich" or "E-Z Wich," which both sound stupid)
Written on the Back of tro-tro: "Ghana Burger" (why???)
Written on the back of a tro-tro: "They Act As Lovers" (just to demonstrate the randomness)
So there's a little sampling. Seeing all the writing on the back of the tro-tros is something I'll miss, and being able to buy things out of the car window during traffic. (Have I mentioned that before?) People walk around through the traffic selling things (food and also the most random things ever like paintbrushes, mirrors, pieces of foam, mini flags, sandals, etc). It's genius really. I think they should start something like it in the states. They could have little stands set up near bad traffic areas and then walk out when all the cars are stopped and sell ice cream or chips or something. It would be great!
Posted by lib at December 1, 2008 06:03 PM