Better maternity care in Ghana
Fourth-year medical student Lucianne Remijn did a half-year medical internship in the Gushegu District of northern Ghana. She helped a Dutch doctor of tropical medicne who is researching how to improve maternity care there.
Over a year ago Lucianne came up with a plan to spend a longer period abroad during her medical internship. As she had always been fascinated by tropical medicine and obstetrics, she wanted to gain experience in both. She therefore contacted a Dutch doctor of tropical medicine in Ghana who was looking for a student to help with his research.
‘As I drove along the dirt road to the clinic, I wondered what I would find there.’
The internship killed two flies with one blow: Lucianne was assured of proper supervision from a specialist and knew beforehand that something would actually be done with her research results because the doctor would continue working in Ghana and would thus be able to implement her recommendations. The preparations made, Lucianne travelled to Ghana at the end of 2018 with two goals: to help, through her research, improve maternity care there and to discover whether she wanted to go into tropical medicine.
Listening to care providers
Before she could make concrete recommendations on how to improve the care in the Gushegu District, she first had to understand the care system and explore the care providers’ opinions of the current care on offer. Having conducted hours of discussions, made observations and held interviews, Lucianne drew up a report for the Director of Health Services of the District. This contained specific recommendations on the care system and staff motivation. While in Ghana she also gained clinical experience of births in her role as assistant to the doctor of tropical medicine.
‘All the interviews with the healthcare staff had an effect on me: their openness, their honesty, their problems.’
Now back in the Netherlands, Lucianne hopes, once she has completed her medical internships, to start tropical medicine training and spend a longer period of time in Ghana or a similar country. Her time abroad was confirmation that she was on the right pathway. In her report she writes: ‘I’m grateful for this opportunity, this trip in which I got to see not only the good and challenging side but also the hard side of tropical medicine. This has given me a realistic impression, which will enable me to make an informed decision for the future.’
With your support, we can give more academics and talented students the opportunity torealise projects and follow their dreams. Want to know how you can support your alma mater? Take a look at the contribute page.