Nurses Without Borders Ghana

11/08/2025

"Baking soda isn’t just for baking! It has numerous health benefits, from balancing pH levels to alleviating heartburn and improving oral hygiene. It’s a simple, affordable solution that can be a powerful ally in your wellness journey.

My Personal Reasons:

1. Start using MindBiotic for gut health to improve your overall wellness. A healthy gut helps maintain pH balance and supports immunity. >> https://bit.ly/42LvTDc

2. Use baking soda as a natural remedy for heartburn by mixing a small amount with water to neutralize stomach acids.

3. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to your bath to soothe muscles and refresh your skin.

4. Mindful Meals provides excellent recipes for balancing your gut and overall health, even helping with heartburn relief. >> https://bit.ly/4kprjk5

5. Keep your oral health in check by brushing with baking soda to remove plaque and whiten teeth."

~ Dr Partha Nandi

09/08/2025

PROSTATE HEALTH AWARENESS

MEN MUST READ

Gentlemen,

I am here to speak with you on Prostate. The topic is misleading. Is prostate strictly for men? Yes, ONLY men have prostate and ONLY men over 40 years but the healthcare enlightenment is for everyone. There is no woman who does not know a man 40 years and above, father, uncle, brother, son, friend, neighbour, colleague...

Essentially what I will be doing today is health promotion. Responsible health promotion must provide three things:

1. Information
2. Reassurance
3. A plan of action.

Let me start with a background on prostate health.

Everyone has a pair of kidneys. The job of the kidney is to remove waste. It is the LAWMA (waste management company) of your body. Everyday your blood passes through the kidney several times to be filtered. As the blood is filtered, urine is formed and stored in a temporary storage tank called the urinary bladder.

If there were to be no urinary bladder, as a man walks on the road, urine will be dropping.

Now think of the plumbing work in your house. Think of the urinary bladder as the overhead storage tank. From the storage tank, a good plumber will run pipes to other parts of the house, including the kitchen. God in His wisdom ran pipes from our urinary bladder to the tip of the p***s. The pipe is called the urethra. Just below the bladder and surrounding the urethra is a little organ called the prostate gland.

The prostate gland is the size of a walnut and weighs about 20grams. Its job is to make the seminal fluid which is stored in the seminal vesicle. During s*xual in*******se, seminal fluid comes down the urethra and mixes with the s***ms produced in the testicles to form the semen. So semen technically is not s***m. It is s***m + seminal fluid. The seminal fluid lubricates the s***m.

After age 40, for reasons that may be hormonal, the prostate gland begins to enlarge. From 20 grams it may grow to almost 100 grams. As it enlarges, it squeezes the urethra and the man begins to notice changes in the way he urinates.

If you have a son under 10, if he has a little mischief like we all did at that age, when he comes out to urinate, he can target the ceiling and the jet will hit target. Call his father to do same, wahala dey. His urine stream is weak, cannot travel a long distance and sometimes may come straight down on his legs. So he may need to stand in awkward position to urinate.

Not many men will be worried their urine stream cannot hit the ceiling. Toilets are on the floor and not on the ceiling. But other symptoms begin to show.

TERMINAL DRIPPLING:

The man begins to notice that after urinating and repacking, urine still drops on his pants. This is the reason why after an older man urinates, he has to ring bell. A younger man simply delivers to the last drop and walks away. Just see an older man coming from the bathroom. Sometimes he may clutch the newspaper closely to hide the urine stains, particularly on plain colored trousers.

HESISTANCY

At this point you wait longer for the urine flow to start. There are 2 valves that must open for you to urinate – the internal and external sphincters. Both open but because of obstructions in the urethra, you wait longer for the flow to start.

INCOMPLETE EMPTYING

You have this feeling immediately after urinating that there is still something left.

As all these things happen, the bladder begins to work harder to compensate for the obstruction in the urethra. The frequency of urination goes up. Urgency sets in. Sometimes you have to practically run into the toilet. Nocturia also becomes common. You wake up more than 2 times at night to urinate. Your wife begins to complain.

Men being men may not talk to anyone even at this point. Then the more serious complications start.

Stored urine gets infected and there may be burning sensation when urinating.

Stored urine forms crystals. Crystals come together to form stone either in the bladder or in the kidney. Stones may block the urethra.

Chronic urinary retention sets in. The bladder stores more and more urine. The size of the bladder is 40 - 60cl. A bottle of coke is 50cl. As the bladder stores more urine it can enlarge up to 300cl. An overfilled bladder may leak and this leads to wetting / urinary incontinence. Also the volume may put pressure on the kidney and may lead to kidney damage.

What may likely bring the man to hospital is acute urinary retention. He wakes up one day and he is not able to pass urine.

Everything I have described above is associated with prostate enlargement, technically called benign prostate hyperplasia.

There are other diseases of the prostate like:

1. Prostatitis – inflammation of the prostate

2. Prostate cancer – cancer of the prostate.

This discussion is on prostate enlargement.

I have bad news and good news.

The bad news is that everyman will have prostate enlargement if he lives long enough.

The good news is that there are life style changes that can help the man after 40 to maintain optimum prostate health.

NUTRITION

Look at what you eat. 33% of all cancers, according to the US National Cancer Institute is related to what we eat.
Red meat everyday triples your chances of prostate disease. Milk everyday doubles your risk. Not taking fruits / vegetables daily quadruples your risk.

Tomatoes are very good for men. If that is the only thing your wife can present in the evening, eat it with joy. It has loads of lycopene. Lycopene is the most potent natural antioxidant.
Foods that are rich in zinc are also good for men. We recommend pumpkin seeds (ugbogulu).
Zinc is about the most essential element for male s*xuality and fertility.

Men need more zinc than women. Every time a man ej******es he loses 15mg of zinc. Zinc is also important for alcohol metabolism. Your liver needs zinc to metabolize alcohol.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

As men begin to have urinary symptoms associated with prostate enlargement, it is important they look at alcohol consumption. More fluid in means more fluid out.

Drink less. Drink slowly.

EXERCISE

Exercise helps build the muscle tone. Every man should exercise. Men over 40 should avoid high impact exercise like jogging. It puts pressure on the knees. Cycling is bad news for the prostate. We recommend brisk walking.

SITTING
When we sit, two-third of our weight rests on the pelvic bones. Men who sit longer are more prone to prostate symptoms. Do not sit for long hours. Walk around as often as you can. Sit on comfortable chairs. We recommend a divided saddle chair if you must sit long hours.

DRESSING

Men should avoid tight underwear. It impacts circulation around the groin and heats it up a bit. While the physiological temperature is 37 degrees, the groin has an optimal temperature of about 33 degrees. Pant is a no - no for men. Wear boxers. Wear breathable clothing.

SMOKING

Avoid smoking. It affects blood vessels and impact circulation around the groin.

S*X

Regular s*x is good for the prostate.

Celibates are more pronenn to prostate illness. While celibacy is a moral decision, it is not a biological adaptation. Your prostate gland is designed to empty its contents regularly.
Hot lemons can kill cancer cells!

Cut the lemon into three pieces and place it in a cup, then pour hot water, it will become (alkaline water), drink it every day will certainly benefit everyone ..

Hot lemons can once again release an anti-cancer drug.

Hot lemon juice has an effect on cancerous tumors and has shown treatment for all types of cancer.

Treatment with this extract will only destroy the malignant cells and will not affect healthy cells.

Second: The acids and mono-carboxylic acid in lemon juice can regulate hypertension and protect narrow arteries, adjust blood circulation and reduce blood clotting.

Healthy Life, Happy Life

Copied

11/07/2025

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT AND STAKEHOLDERS OF GHANA’S HEALTH MINISTRY

Subject: The Sod Has Been Cut. Now, Let’s Cut the Lies.

To:
His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana
The Honorable Minister of Health
Chief Directors of the Ministry of Health
Heads of Procurement and Logistics
Hospital CEOs and Administrators
Biomedical Unit Directors
The Ghana Health Service
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Health
The People of Ghana

Dear Leadership,

There comes a time when silence is betrayal not just of conscience, but of country. That time is now.

As a biomedical engineer and a biotechnologist who has served in Ghana’s health supply system and now works as a field service engineer across major hospitals in the United States, I can no longer pretend that what we are calling “progress” in Ghana’s health sector is anything more than cosmetic change masking structural rot.

I would like to begin with a true story. A few years ago, my company delivered a brand-new lab device to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Within 24 hours, a significant component was missing. Stolen. Gone. Why? Because someone’s black-market business felt threatened. That was not an accident it was sabotage. Moreover, this was not the first time. It will not be the last because we have normalized pettiness over patients and profit over public health.

And the response? Silence. No investigation. No accountability. It is just business as usual.

Now, in my current role in the U.S., I have visited more hospitals than many senior administrators will in their lifetime. I have worked on medical devices in world-class institutions where systemic accountability is the default, not the demand. Where engineers are not afterthoughts. Where procurement is based on needs, not names. Moreover, “maintenance” is not a term that disappears after ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

As a biotechnologist, I understand deeply that just like a cell requires all its components to function harmoniously, a health system requires foresight, coordination, and integrity. Unfortunately, these are precisely the things we lack.

🧠 What Ghana’s Health Sector lacks is not Money, it is a Mindset:

We celebrate sod-cutting ceremonies as if they save lives.

We inflate equipment budgets only to watch machines gather dust.

We ask, “How many hospitals were built?” not “How many are working?" We often overlook the biomedical engineers and technicians who keep systems running until something breaks.

🛑 Stop Building New Hospitals If We Cannot Maintain the Ones We Have. Let me be brutally clear: You cannot paint over dysfunction with policy statements. You cannot replace broken systems with PR stunts. We do not need new hospital facades. We need fully functional ICUs, stocked pharmacies, maintained diagnostics, and operating theatres with power that does not blink mid-surgery.

Minister, Mr. President, Stakeholders, this is not a letter of complaint. It is a call to conscience. We must end the hypocrisy of pretending to prioritize healthcare when procurement fraud, political sabotage, and leadership negligence are killing more people than disease.

🔧Five Emergency Directives That Will Save More Lives Than Any New Construction:

1. Nationwide Biomedical Equipment Audit: Could you document every medical device, its status, and what is needed to restore full function?

2. Regional Biomedical Leadership Framework: Appoint qualified engineers, not political foot soldiers, to oversee infrastructure.

3. Sod-Cutting Moratorium: No new construction until 80% of existing hospitals meet global functionality benchmarks.

4. Procurement Transparency Act: Every procurement decision must be tied to real hospital data and publicly disclosed.

5. Whistleblower Protection with Rewards: Encourage insiders to expose theft and sabotage. Protect and incentivize truth-telling.

📢 Because Truth Be Told … We are exporting nurses, importing equipment, and still outsourcing basic patient care to countries such as South Africa and India. Our healthcare system does not lack intelligence; it lacks the will to do right by its people.

Mr. President, your oath is not to your party but to the people. Minister of Health, don't think your responsibility is to your praise singers. It is for every child in a ward with no functioning ventilator.

Moreover, to every hospital administrator who turned a blind eye, you are complicit. We are tired. We are grieving in silence. However, we are also watching. The next elections will not be won with a simple act of sod-cutting. They will be won or lost based on how many lives you chose to save when you had the chance.

No apologies. Just facts.

Sincerely,

Leonard Kwasi Havor
Biomedical Engineer | Biotechnologist | Field Service Specialist
Bridge Global Health

23/06/2025

23/06/2025

Landmark delivery targets girls aged 9-14 to protect future generations from cervical cancer

12/06/2025

I got admission to one of the public universities in Ghana 2007. I paid the full admission fees but did not report. After applying for a refund later, the university refused to give me any refund. I did not go because I was waiting for the nursing admission. Later that year, I gained admission to the Tamale NTC to study Diploma in Nursing. That was the best decision I took in my life, study nursing.

During the interview, an official of the Tamale NTC said I was coming to the school to receive allowances and run away to the university . According to him, my results were good and he thought I should have gone to the university. Little did he know that I was rather running away from the university to study nursing.

I don’t need validation from anyone anywhere to tell whether I am intelligent or academically poor.

I may not have attended the best schools in Ghana (JSS and SSS), what I know is that even in the poorest of schools, the teachers did their very best. And we gave out our best too.

And today, we can confidently compete with anyone anywhere in the world. I am not someone who believes in spiting people based on academic achievements.

It’s simply superfluous to do so.

I have had the privilege of teaching many nursing students in Ghana and outside Ghana. And I am humbled by the level of intellect of nurses and nursing students.

Few months ago, one of my former students from a different country, shared an interesting incident with me.

A paediatric client was referred to her facility, a tertiary hospital. The doctor misdiagnosed and mismanaged the child. She was not on duty at that time. When she reported the following day, she did her independent assessment and realized that the client’s medical presentation looked different from what was being diagnosed and treated.

When the doctor came for the daily ward rounds, she asked if he had thought about the condition she had in mind. The doctor exclaimed!

“Yes, you are right, it escaped me completely”.

The diagnosis was changed, and obviously, the treatment changed too. And that was how the child recovered very well and was discharged home alive and well.

You see,

Nursing is an independent profession. Nursing is NEVER a subsidiary profession to any other profession anywhere in the world.

I owe my gratitude of experience to the 100s of midwifery students I had the privilege of teaching at the Bolga Midwifery Training College and my beloved Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM).

The experience I got from students I taught at the Bolga Midwifery Training College is priceless. I cannot thank them enough.

As for the GCNM, we were not just teachers, we were students as well. Anybody who worked with the Paediatric Nursing Education Partnership (PNEP), a partnership that birthed Paediatric nursing education in the history of nursing in Ghana between the Government of Ghana and the Government of Canada through the biggest Children Hospital in Canada, SickKids would tell you that there was great great learning.

Need I recount more?

Well,

You see, nurses are often treated as if we work under everyone else in the hospital, the doctor, the pharmacist, the lab officers etcetera.

I was outraged when a respected lawyer and journalist once remarked that he visited the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and nurses didn’t attend to him until a doctor instructed them to do so. No nurse worth his salt would allow himself to be bullied by anyone else in the hospital.

Do we completely blame other officers in the hospital environment for the timidity of nurses?

Absolutely not.

Nurses are entirely responsible for their own timidity. Nursing students are often treated without any form of dignity at the nursing schools. Tutors and other staff treat them with utter disrespect. When they get to the clinical areas for practicum, the situation is same if not worst. Therefore, they become used to such an environment and timidity becomes a part of their daily lives and routines.

How dare you send a student brought to you for training to go and buy you food or water?

That’s rubbish!

Have you seen any other professional aside nursing sending students under them to go buy them anything?

Never.

I often tell students I am so privileged to teach that I have no business being in any school if there were no students. Why then would I disrespect the very important stakeholders (students) in the school environment? That’s unacceptable.

As a teacher, I often focus on the minds of my students, make them confident, believe in themselves and become very assertive. Advocacy is an integral part of nursing responsibilities. How do you advocate when you lack confidence in your self and abilities?

I will share a funny experience I had during the Gusheigu Pregnant Midwifery student issue that happened somewhere in 2017 through the intervention of Manasseh Azure Awuni. Some of my classmates, who often come to me for counsel in times of need faulted us and felt we shouldn’t have taken the school on.

A tutor at the Bolga Midwifery school Mr Peter, said I am a nurse and so shouldn’t have taken the matter that far. “Did the school treat me as a nurse? I will put my neck on the chopping board to ensure that this nonsense stops” I told him.

Sorry for the digression.

Back to the issue of those who think nurses are those who didn’t pass their exams.

At the hospital environment, the role of the nurse is indispensable. You can have the best doctors, best pharmacists, the best Laboratory staff, but if your nurses are not good, your poor recovery or lack of it will expose you. You will develop complications. And you will die.

The doctor’s role ends at prescription. The pharmacist’s role ends at dispensing. But the nurses role spans through all other roles in the hospital. By nurses role, they are the only professionals in the hospital who MUST work with every other professional in the hospital. Sometimes, we do part of their jobs to ensure that the system runs seamlessly.

Do not get me wrong.

I am not suggesting that nurses are better than any other professional in the hospital. I am just stating how important the role of the nurse in the hospital cannot be played with.

The best doctors in the world would tell you that they learn from experienced nurses most of the time. The best nurses in the world are those who are open to learning from everyone in the hospital including the orderlies, security man, the doctor, the pharmacist , the lab man etc.

No one is a repository of knowledge and no profession is a repository of knowledge. People make choices based on preferences.

In the Swiss Cheese model, we are taught to stop the blame game, and do a system thinking. When errors occur in the hospital, you cannot blame any individual for the error. The whole system has to be assessed and evaluated with objectivity and honesty to find solutions to what may have brought about the error.

Nurses and other professional groups often collaborate to bring the best care to the patient. Around the world, evidence is quite clear, that, where there is minimal collaboration, errors are bound to occur and médico-légal issues would arise.

Let’s regard nurses. Let’s respect nurses. Let’s pay nurse well, for they truly deserve better CoS.

The strike is long overdue, let’s find solutions at this point, MoH and M*F.

By Ajusiyine Mbangbe, Pediatric Nurse Specialist

07/06/2025

The Patients Charter (GHS)

The Ghana Health Service is for all people living in Ghana irrespective of age, s*x, ethnic background and religion.
The service requires collaboration between health workers, patients/clients and society. Thus the attainment of optimal health care is dependent on Team Work.
Health facilities must therefore provide for and respect the rights and responsibilities of patients/clients, families, health workers and other health care providers. They must be sensitive to patient's socio-cultural and religious backgrounds, age, gender and other differences as well as the needs of patients with disabilities.
The Ghana Health Service expects health care institutions to adopt the patient's charter to ensure that service personnel as well as patients/clients and their families understand their rights and responsibilities.
This Charter is made to protect the Rights of the patient in the Ghana Health Service. It addresses:
• The Right of the individual to an easily accessible, equitable and comprehensive health care of the highest quality within the resources ofthe country.
• Respect for the patient as an individual with a right of choice in the decision of his/her health care plans.
• The Right to protection from discrimination based on culture, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, age and type of illness or disability.
• The responsibility of the patient/client for personal and communal health through preventive, promotive and simple. curative strategies.

THE PATIENT'S RIGHTS
• The patient has the right to quality basic health care irrespective of his/her geographical location.
• The patient is entitled to full information on his/her condition and management and the possible risks involved except in emergency situations when the patient is unable to make a decision and the need for treatment is urgent.
• The patient is entitled to know of alternative treatment(s) and other health care providers within the Service if these may contribute to improved outcomes.
• The patient has the right to know the identity of all his/her caregivers and other persons who may handle him/her including students, trainees and ancillary workers.
• The patient has the right to consent or decline to participate in a proposed research study involving him or her after a full explanation has been given. The patient may withdraw at any stage of the research project.
• A patient who declines to participate in or withdraws from a research project is entitled to the most effective care available.
• The patient has the right to privacy during consultation, examination and treatment. In cases where it is necessary to use the patient or his/her case notes for teaching and conferences, the consent of the patient must be sought.
• The patient is entitled to confidentiality of information obtained about him or her and such information shall not be disclosed to a third party without his/her consent or the person entitled to act on his/her behalf except where such information is required by law or is in the public interest.
• The patient is entitled to all relevant information regarding policies and regulation of the health facilities that he/she attends.
• Procedures for complaints, disputes and conflict resolution shall be explained to patients or their accredited representatives.
• Hospital charges, mode of payments and all forms of anticipated expenditure shall be explained to the patient prior to treatment.
• Exemption facilities, if any, shall be made known to the patient.
• The patient is entitled to personal safety and reasonable security of property within the confines of the Institution.
• The patient has the right to a second medical opinion if he/she so desires.

THE PATIENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES
The patient should understand that he/she is responsible for his/her own health and should therefore co-operate fully with healthcare providers. The patient is responsible for:
• Providing full and accurate medical history for his/her diagnosis, treatment, counseling and rehabilitation purposes.
• Requesting additional information and or clarification regarding his/her health or treatment, which may not have been well understood.
• Complying with prescribed treatment, reporting adverse effects and adhering, to follow up requests.
• Informing his/her healthcare providers of any anticipated problems in following prescribed treatment or advice.
• Obtaining all necessary information, which have a bearing on his/her management and treatment including all financial implications.
• Acquiring knowledge, on preventive, promotive and simple curative practices and where necessary to seeking early professional help.
• Maintaining safe and hygienic environment in order to promote good health.
• Respecting the rights of other patients/clients and Health Service personnel
• Protecting the property of the Health facility.
NB:
These rights and responsibilities shall be exercised by accredited and recognized representatives on behalf of minors and patients who are unable for whatever reasons to make informed decisions by themselves;
In all healthcare activities the patient's dignity and interest must be paramount.

02/07/2024

2023 National HIV and AIDS Estimates and Projections

The national adult HIV prevalence for 2023 is estimated at 1.53%, with the number of people living with HIV estimated at 334,095 which is made up of 316,545 (94.7%) adults and 17,550 (5.3%) children. The HIV adult (15-49) incidence rate in 2023 is estimated at 0.09%, with 17,774 estimated new infections (90.4% adults, 9.6% children) and 12,480 AIDS deaths. Annual AIDS deaths amongst children (0-14) is estimated at 1,398.

A total of 1,698 new child infections is estimated to have occurred among children 0-14 years. The 15–24-year group accounted for 4,867 of the total new infections. The number of AIDS orphans is estimated at 245,295.

Of the total estimated people living with HIV, 151,526 were receiving ART, thereby resulting in an unmet need of 182,569 as of the end of December 31, 2022. During the same period, the number of mothers needing and receiving PMTCT services stood at 13,445 and 12,108, respectively, thus leaving an unmet need of 1,337.

~ Ghana AIDS Commission

03/03/2024

CSM is as dangerous as COVID-19. Abide by the preventive measures.

09/02/2024

Take precautionary measures to safeguard your health.

🖤Wear nose/face mask
❤️ Careful when driving/riding during the day or night especially when there's poor visibility
💛Drink a lot of water
💚 Keep children indoors

30/12/2023

Guys, ladies,

The year is ending. Have you done your labs to ascertain your health status? Regardless of your age, walk into a lab and check your:

Kidney
Liver
Cholesterol
Blood Sugar
Prostrate (PSA)
HIV

The 20’s and 30’s, your kidney test is most important because of the spag, fried chicken, mayonnaise, etc..

See a doctor for a quick review of the results. Everything shouldn’t cost more than GHC 500 or 40k Naira.

Start the new year with a health plan. Don’t wait till you fall down before dialing 911.

May we keep fit and live long to enjoy the fruit of our labour.

NB: The HIV nu, if you are afraid like me, grab a self test-kit for free from GHS or buy one at a pharmacy, hide in your room, say fast & pray for 6 hours and do it.

I just did mine.

Now, i can go and enjoy my gob3 breakfast in peace.

~ Kofi Asare