Monday was, somewhat surprisingly, an extremely productive day. In the morning I met our In Country Director, Ackom, at the Ministry of Environment to meet with the past director of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Anemana. It was gratifying to meet Dr. Anemana in person after having talked with him on the phone several times this past year. We discussed the status of our current containers, which are part of the agreement we signed last summer while he was still at the MOH. We also joyfully updated him on the progress of the nutrition center and the fact that it is almost ready to open, showing him a few of the most recent pictures. We concluded the meeting by briefly discussing possible future containers. Even though Dr. Anemana is no longer at the MOH, he remains very interested in MedPLUS Connect and our work throughout Ghana. After our meeting with Dr. Anemana, Ackom and I were able to go directly to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to meet with Mr. Sulemani, the Member of Parliament for Sisala West and also the Minister for Roads and Highways. Dr. Bukari, the medical director at the Gwollu and Tumu District Hospitals, which are within the Sisala West District, had put me in touch with Mr. Sulemani and after a few phone conversations we were able to find a time to meet. He was very interested in MedPLUS Connect and we discussed the container for Gwollu and Tumu Hospitals in depth. We also explained the MedPLUS model and our history of past shipments in Ghana, especially discussing the Upper West Region, the Region where Sisala West is located. It was a very rewarding meeting and I considerably enjoyed talking about MedPLUS in depth with someone new to our organization.
Although being able to hold two meetings in one day was accomplishment enough, Ackom and I also traveled to Accra Central to visit a store selling medical supplies and get more information on the items they have available. The store will potentially be a great resource for us regarding future shipments, if there is something that needs to be purchased in country rather than being sent from the US. This trip was also personally exciting for me as I had never been to this part of Accra before. Accra Central was hectic, crowded, and extremely busy, full of people and taxis fighting for space, but I actually relished the experience. It reminded me of my past trips to Ghana, and my time spent in Kumasi so part of my enjoyment may have been due purely to nostalgia.
Accra Central
I’ve had, and still have, a few additional meetings scheduled this week, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to surpass Monday’s productivity.