Dr. Bush's Experience on a Medical Mission to Northern Ghana

Dr. Nahndi Bush • January 28, 2020

Dr. Bush in Africa on a Medical Mission

'ON APPRECIATION'

Whenever possible, it is a valuable thing to leave the United States to gain perspective on the abundance we enjoy here. Imagine that you are a seamstress who makes her living sewing dresses, and you find that by the time you are in your 40s or 50s you cannot earn a living for want of a pair of reading glasses. Reading glasses that we could purchase at our nearest dollar store. Picture your 11 year old daughter responding only when someone shouts her name, because she has lost her vision from childhood glaucoma. A surgical procedure could have helped when she was younger, but can no longer bring her vision back. A 10 minute surgery for cataracts however, could help her grandfather regain his sight and his independence. My second day in clinic during a mission to Ghana has introduced me to patients like this and many more. Hundreds more will be waiting for us tomorrow and the next day, and many will not be seen by the time we leave in a few days. Even in New Jersey I have seen unnecessary blindness, suffering and disability from treatable vision problems. In Englewood I have had to say to patients or family members “I’m sorry, there is nothing I can do to get the sight back.” Often it was due to a lack of insurance, or difficulty paying for medications, co-pays and procedures. I ask the hard question however: how do some of us prioritize our health? Some patients complain of health costs, but regularly go to hair and nail salons, and manage to pay cable and cell phone bills. Care is available however, sometimes cost prohibitive, but at least accessible more often than not for those who pursue assistance. People here in Ghana and many other countries remind me of the wealth of resources available to us in America. Unfortunately, mission work is needed in the U.S. as well due to the unacceptable economic disparity and division of wealth. Although few can travel overseas on a mission, we can all find ways to help others through local churches, donating eyeglasses to the Lions Club, or assisting someone in our community who is visually impaired. At the very least we can make it a mission, pun intended, to get our eyes examined regularly to protect the “two gifts” that keep us seeing from day to day

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