Pursuing the Impossible Dream

X-ray of infant who aspirated an earring into her right lung which was successfully removed with modern bronchoscopic telescopic equipment.

After two and one half years has a modern ear, nose and throat department been established at Tamale Teaching Hospital? No. Some days we have moved backwards. The light at the end of the tunnel is seen, but the end is never reached. All things considered, however, our clinic now has equipment which is not available anywhere else in the country.
A modern, “state of the art” ear, nose and throat clinic cannot be established in a developing environment in one’s lifetime. It would necessitate all surrounding structures to be modern and functioning well. This does not exist. Examples of how outside conditions, over which we have no control, interfere with the goal of a modern ear, nose and throat department are an unreliable supply of water and electricity. The lack of water prevents sterilization of surgical instruments and the washing of surgical scrub suits resulting in surgery being cancelled. Electricity fails daily and the returning power surges destroy electrical equipment.
Why continue the uphill, difficult, strenuous struggle for a state of the art department? Because such a department, with modern equipment and technique, saves and improves lives. The modern pediatric bronchoscopes, telescopic optical forceps and magnified image on a monitor enable the removal of aspirated foreign bodies from the lungs of small infants saving their lives.
Sometimes I think I benefit the most from these efforts. There is peace and satisfaction in doing something worthwhile and good. The others who benefit are the poor in the northern region of Ghana. If the equipment were not here and we did not care for these patients, they would not have the money or means to travel four hundred miles to the capital of Accra to seek treatment.