Sunday, April 30, 2023.
In 2001, I was a young House Officer in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. I did my housemanship first in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, then in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, each for six months. I worked with/under many people and learned many things from them. In this piece I look at two of them, both my immediate ‘bosses’ when I was a House Officer. Now they are leaders and my current work took me to the institutions they head. Both have had their ‘winding’ journeys in the health sector in Ghana.
Dr. Richard Anthony was a young/Junior Resident in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital when I was a House Officer. He is the ‘diplomatic’ type, not ‘aggressive.’ He is currently a Physician Specialist and Medical Director of Tema General Hospital.
Dr. Kennedy Brightson was a Medical Officer when I was a House Officer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Korle Bu. He was a ‘radical,’ the type that was involved in ‘fights’ to push for change… He is currently the Medical Superintendent/Director of Shai Osudoku District Hospital in Dodowa. He is a Public Health Physician working more in Reproductive Health with a passion for prevention of maternal mortality.
Interestingly both of them have sent nurses (a total of 8 so far, from 3 institutions) to be trained in cervical cancer prevention skills at the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre (CCPTC) in Catholic Hospital, Battor. I am currently the head of the CCPTC and our work in cervical cancer prevention took me to their institutions. It was nice meeting them!
- On Thursday, April 14, 2022, I went with our team members to Tema General Hospital as part of the mPharma 10,000 Women Initiative that screened women with HPV DNA testing for free in Ghana and Nigeria. We screened women living with HIV in Tema General Hospital.
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On Saturday, April 29, 2023, I went with our team to the Shai Osudoku District Hospital in Dodowa. The National Radiotherapy, Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre in Korle Bu as part of activities to mark its 25th anniversary sponsored cervical and breast cancer screening for women in the Shai Osudoku District at the District Hospital. Staff of the Centre were joined by staff in the District Hospital and staff from the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre (CCPTC), Catholic Hospital, Battor for the screening exercise.
After meeting Dr. Anthony and Dr. Brightson in their institutions, I couldn’t help thinking about their different personality types and how these have impacted their different leadership styles. Over two decades ago, I worked directly under them and learned from both of them.
What will those who work(ed) directly under me say or think (the typical Ghanaian is unlikely to voice many things) when they meet me in future?
Ask yourself the same question.