Post by Aaron Fearn

Summer Internship at AGA Health Foundation I am pleased to announce that I am halfway through my two-week summer internship at AngloGold Ashanti Hospital in Obuasi, Ghana. I undertook this internship to gain firsthand experience in the treatment of tropical diseases and to deepen my understanding of the Ghanaian healthcare system. My first week has been both exciting and insightful. I spent most of my time in the male and female internal medicine wards, where I assisted with basic observations, such as listening to heart and breath sounds, checking pulses, monitoring for swelling etc. Additionally, I was able to study the cases of patients suffering from conditions such as sickle cell anaemia, Hepatitis B, and AIDS. I also noted a significant number of admissions for diabetes secondary to hypertension, pneumonia and cases involving iron deficiency anaemia. My surgical rotation was particularly eye-opening, as I observed limb amputations due to gangrene caused by advanced diabetes mellitus, the removal of a subcutaneous lipoma and other fascinating surgeries. On Thursday, I had the opportunity to assist the doctors at AGA HF in providing free consultations, medication, and health education to the community in Obuasi as part of their outreach program. This experience was invaluable, as I helped fulfil the hospital's corporate social responsibility and participated in real-life consultations. It was an extremely busy day, with a record number of over 3,000 people seen. This week, I am scheduled to rotate through Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Emergency Medicine, and Pediatrics. I am deeply grateful for this experience and for the warm welcome from all members of the multidisciplinary team.