An editorial in The Ghanaian Chronicle caught my interest. Dr. Beeko, a local physician, discusses the balance between human expertise and medical technology. He makes a persuasive case for both, but his central points are:
- Technology can dramatically improve health care.
- Ghana has little medical equipment and should strive for more.
- The little they do have is falling apart and not maintained / repaired.
As anyone who has ever heard me talk on this subject is aware, I am a rabid proponent for human medical expertise over technology; and our organization operates under the philosophy that fancy equipment and drugs can never replace the expertise of a well-trained, knowledgeable physician / nurse. However, there is a basic level of equipment that must be met, especially in the surgical arena.
One of our group has just returned from a trip to West Africa, and I am currently preparing a post on his report. In it, he describes the appalling deterioration of the critical equipment in a large teaching hospital. We are concerned that this reflects the lack of understanding by the administration of the issues Dr. Beeko illuminates in his opinion piece.
Stay tuned.
Hello Dr. Mark Harris:
ReplyDeleteIt’s a great pleasure to read your blog. I find your post very informative. Thank you for sharing your insights.
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