KA Report | Tolu Duckworth-Essilfie

Tolu at Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Takoradi, Ghana

Tolu Duckworth-Essilfie (2019 Medicine) writes:

To say that I have never been to Africa would be untrue. I was born in Lagos, Nigeria, to Nigerian and Ghanaian parents, and celebrated my first birthday in Ghana. My family, however, emigrated to the UK as soon as I could start to walk, and I have not returned since then. So, for most of my life, it’s been a place I’ve known only through stories and pictures. This has since changed after undertaking a ten-week medical elective across Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, with support from a Keble Association grant. This trip built my clinical skills and medical knowledge beyond the NHS and allowed me to reconnect with my heritage.

Takoradi, Ghana

The first part of my elective was spent in my father’s home town, in Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, with a focus in Paediatrics and Emergency Medicine. Here, I presented new patients to the specialist doctor and clerked patients independently. I verified deaths, inserted cannulas and diagnosed diseases. There were clinical signs that I identified that I had only ever come across in textbooks, such as pericardial friction rubs, and procedures that I performed, like suturing, that I had only ever practised on plastic dummies. One case I won’t forget is that of an open pelvic fracture caused by activity associated with illegal gold mining, or galamsey as it is known in Ghana. This placement provided a comprehensive learning experience and gave useful insight into what I should expect when I start to work as a doctor later this summer. 

Mount Kilimanjaro

Moshi and Zanzibar, Tanzania

Next, I travelled to Tanzania, where I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, walked through the winding streets of Stone Town and relaxed by the white sand beaches of Paje, both in Zanzibar.

Lusaka and Livingstone, Zambia

I spent the last part of my elective in Zambia where I continued to develop my clinical skills in the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. Here I observed intubations and central line insertions and saw my first cases of tetanus and Fournier’s gangrene.

I was able to also visit the Victoria Falls. I understand now why it is recognised as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World as it is a spectacular sight. I was lucky to not only catch sight of zebras, giraffes, lions, elephants, hippos and more in Chobe National Park, but to also get close to them on a game drive. It was truly an exhilarating experience.

My elective was frankly unforgettable. It has had a great impact on both my education, my future and my perspective of the world, and I am thankful I was able to pursue it.