by Justice Lee Adoboe
ACCRA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- For nearly a year, Eugene Amartey Annan, a young Ghanaian engineer, has endured the pain of living with a hernia. This condition occurs when an internal organ or tissue pushes through a weak spot or opening in the surrounding muscle or tissue wall, most commonly in the abdomen, groin and testicles.
The condition became severe to the point that Annan found it difficult to work, with the cost of treatment for a local Ghanaian worker quite prohibitive.
But a change came when the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy hospital ship Auspicious Ark arrived in Ghana's eastern port of Tema on Oct. 23 for a friendly visit and medical mission, the first visit by a Chinese naval hospital ship to the West African country.
On Monday, the medical team successfully operated on Annan in the theatre.
Speaking with Xinhua at the recovery ward on the military hospital vessel, Annan added that although he felt a little pain the day after the surgery, some pain relievers given to him had made the pain subside, and he was hoping to be discharged soon.
Annan lauded the medical workers on the vessel for their efficiency and professionalism, thanking them for the free medical care. "They pamper us so well that any illness will vanish. They are bringing China to Ghana."
Meanwhile, Sophia Annan, mother of the 45-year-old engineer, who came in to attend to her son at the recovery ward, also had a taste of the benevolent and efficient medical service provided by the personnel on board the vessel, who treated her hypertensive condition and eye problem free of charge.
"Whatever you ask them, they have the patience to answer you. The service provided here is free and we didn't pay anything," Sophia Annan said.
She added that the military medical personnel from China handled the patients with utmost care and empathy, serving them with food, toiletries, and dental care products.
Besides Annan and his mother, thousands of Ghanaians also received free medical care from the medical personnel on board the Auspicious Ark. Among these was Kingsford Adjei, 30, a student of the University of Cape Coast, who underwent surgery on board the huge Chinese naval hospital ship to correct a fracture sustained during a football game in January.
Adjei had to discontinue treatment due to the high cost of surgery, and had to discontinue his part-time job and depend solely on his mother for upkeep. But on Monday, medical personnel onboard the Chinese Navy hospital ship carried out free surgery on his right leg, and he was recovering in the ward when Xinhua visited.
"Right now, everything is successful; I'll go back to school again and do everything by myself. Thank you. They shouldn't stop. They should keep on doing it. Maybe there are people who didn't receive the opportunity now. Therefore, if they keep on coming, many people will benefit," he pleaded.
Moreover, many others also visited with gynaecological issues, dental issues, and everyday health issues, such as fevers, among others.
Among other visitors were those who also reported to the ophthalmology unit of the floating hospital, where they received treatment and care for age-old eye problems. Among these was Nicolas Senam Nanevie, a 48-year-old Ghanaian teacher, who had suffered eye problems with blurred eyesight since childhood, with spectacles hardly improving his condition.
Nanevie was diagnosed with glaucoma, which he was told was not fully developed for surgery, and he had been applying eye drops for temporary relief. However, when the 48-year-old teacher visited the Chinese naval hospital ship on Sunday, he was booked for surgery on Monday.
"I've been asked to visit a local eye clinic after 10 days to have the stitches removed. I am so happy and grateful," Nanevie told Xinhua.
Huang Zhen, an ophthalmologist at the eye center on the navy hospital ship, told Xinhua that an average of 200 people have visited the center daily with different eye problems since the ship arrived in Ghana last Friday.
"Most of the eye problems they came with are presbyopia, cataract, glaucoma, and others. Many patients need cataract and glaucoma surgeries, and this time we have many cataracts and glaucoma," Huang said.
She praised the Ghanaian volunteers working with the Chinese medical personnel for their efficiency and support. ■