Encounter with Dr Edward Akosah Danso: Final destination is transplant surgeon

The Daily Graphic recently caught up with Dr Edward Akosah Danso (EAD), the best graduating medical student from the University of Cape Coast (UCC), School of Medical Sciences. He grabbed 15 of the 21 awards. His dream is to be a transplant surgeon to help Ghanaians who need such services.

In his interaction with the Political Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Albert K. Salia (AKS), Dr Danso, who is the first son of one of Ghana’s top policewomen, Commissioner of Police (COP), Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, currently the Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), made a profound statement.

He said that in the course of work “You'd definitely step on toes but it should never be that I'm intentionally going to hurt this person. You'd offend someone one way or the other but never make it your aim to hurt someone intentionally.”
Read excerpts of the interview conducted in the studios of Graphic TV.

Albert K. Salia (AKS): Dr Edward Akosah Danso (EAD), you're welcome.

Dr Edward Akosah Danso (EAD): Thank you very much.

AKS: Who is Dr Edward Akosah Danso?

EAD: I am 25 years old and the son of COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah. I come from Asante Akyem Mampong in the Ashanti Region and currently live at Taifa. I recently graduated from the medical school and I hope to become a very successful medical doctor.

I started kindergarten at Morning Star and completed my primary and Junior High School (JHS) in the same school. I proceeded to Prempeh College in the Ashanti Region, completed in 2014 and entered medical school in 2015; that's UCC. So that's my educational journey.

AKS: As you were growing up, did you have it in mind to become a medical doctor or you had different ideas of becoming an IT expert or whatever?

EAD: Yes. I've always wanted to be a medical doctor. There's this story my mum and her sisters tell me that when I was younger, I told them that when I become a doctor, I'll refer to myself as Dr Nana Akosah Danso. And I don't have any memories of that so I'm sure it was way earlier and I think that has been something that's been cooking since I was a child.

AKS: Aside from your books, did you play any other role in school?

EAD: When I was in primary school, I was the assistant school prefect and then in junior high school I was again the assistant school prefect. When I went to Prempeh College, I did more of the entertainment stuff. I was the chairperson of the entertainment committee.

I was also the president of the Ghana United Nations Students Association in Prempeh College. And finally, I was the Science Club organiser. We had a massive science festival where we had a talk on DNA and all that. So, I dabbled a bit in other things apart from academics.

AKS: How did you find the challenge when you moved to UCC?

EAD: In UCC, I think initially, in our first year, we didn’t really do a lot of medically related courses. We did mathematics; we did African Studies and a couple of university courses. I think the real challenge started in Level 200 where we had to transition from doing level 100 courses, which are basically a continuation of Senior High School (SHS) topics, to hardcore medical school topics like anatomy and physiology.

Basically, what you have to do is know how to adapt to the changing system. So with the help of some of my friends and various group studies, we were able to adapt to the changing system of moving from the maths, communication skills to the medically related courses; anatomy, physiology and all that.

AKS: It means all the entertainment stuff from basic and secondary school were all thrown away at the university, right?

EAD: On the contrary, they actually increased. There's a term in medical school called "water will find its own level". So initially a lot of people try to adapt, try to do well but after a few months you know that is okay, this is my level. My level is 50/100, or 50 per cent, my level is 70, my level is 80. So once you know your level then you can add other things.

So gradually I added other things. I started by joining the editorial board which produces our school magazine. That was in level 300. Then when I was moving to level 400, I partnered with an old friend of mine to run for presidency of the Medical Students Association, which we won.

That was level 400. So, I was vice-president of the Medical Students Association (MSA) in level 400. Then I ran for presidency in level 500. So I was president of the MSA in level 500. Then when I was done, I told myself that my final year is for myself and for my training to become a good doctor so no more politics. Final year was just for books.

AKS: With all these activities, how were your friends or colleagues, family members, describing you?

EAD: With my friends, I think we just had our year book come out a week or two ago and I was reading the comments some of my friends made, where they said what I do is not normal. I think that summarises everything.
AKS: Not normal? Can you explain to us what your friends meant by ‘not normal’?

EAD: I think basically being all round and being a jack of all trades. Usually when someone is a jack of all trades, the person becomes a master of none. But I think what they meant was that although I try to do a lot of things, I try to excel in them as well and that is not normal.

AKS: And how were your family members also seeing you?

EAD: My family members have been extremely supportive. I think with parents, especially my mother, what she wants you to know or what she wants you to do is that you know that you were brought to medical school to become a doctor. That's the first thing. So once you assure her that you are going to become a doctor that’s it. Sometimes I send her some of my results.

So once you tell her that "I'm doing ok so I want to add politics", she doesn't have a problem with that. Once she is aware that the primary reason why you were taken to medical school will surely be accomplished, you wouldn't have a resit, you wouldn't be repeated, your grades are good, if you can add other things and she'll fully support you.

AKS: Great. So, did you have that ambition of sweeping the awards?

EAD: Not at all.

AKS: So how did it happen?

EAD: I had this lecturer who always used to motivate me. His name is Dr Leonard Derkyi-Kwarteng. He is the immediate past Head of the Department of Pathology. So when I came to level 200, I think he saw the potential in me and might have said this boy is very good. Let me guide and motivate him so that he can excel.

So our aim, that is our joint aim, was to produce someone who excels and is all round in almost all the medical topics, all the medical fields and I think the byproduct is the awards. The main aim was just to produce a good doctor who would excel in the medical field and the byproduct is the awards that came along with it.

AKS: Do you look forward to staying in Ghana to be a consultant or you want to leave the shores of the country for greener pastures?

EAD: That's quite a complicated question. Specialisation depends on what you want to do. I definitely see myself in Ghana helping improve our health system. My final destination is to be a transplant surgeon and start a transplant programme in Ghana because I realise that a lot of people are with chronic kidney diseases, chronic liver diseases and diabetes.

The best standard treatment is transplant. So usually the dialysis that people with chronic diseases are put on is just a bridging treatment waiting for transplant and I recall Korle Bu did some transplant a couple of years ago but we don't have a set-up transplant project in the country.

Getting to that final destination is where you can't really say whether you'd stay in the country or not because transplant surgery is more or less a post-fellowship of general surgery.

I know general surgery can be done in Ghana but then, if you want to further add transplant, you'd have to go outside. So it all depends on where I can get my training. But my services would be provided to the country.

AKS: Considering your plans of specialisation, what happens after your horsemanship?

EAD: So after the horsemanship, it also depends on where you want to go, what you want to do or what you want to be. If you want to train in Ghana, after horsemanship, you are posted as a medical officer. Then depending on the facility you are posted to, they would sponsor your postgraduate specialisation.

If you want to train outside, you write exams, depending on the country you want to go to, you go there and further your studies. So depending on where I want to go to and what I want to be, I'd follow any of those paths.

AKS: Do you have any messages for the younger doctors or doctors in training?

EAD: For the younger doctors, doctors in training, my fellow colleagues and my friends and juniors, I think medical school is a full-time job; medical school becomes your home and your previous home becomes your vacation home.

With the six years, you spend about three to four months of those six years at home. So what you have to do is make use of most of the opportunities you have and make many friends as possible.

Socialise with your colleagues because the medical field is a bit enclosed. So those you learn from are those you'd work with for the length of your career. Make sure you link up with everyone in your social circle. So that's for the social Iife.

For the academic life, I believe you have to be diligent with your basic sciences. Medical school is divided into preclinical years and clinical years. The preclinical years have to do with the basic sciences where you more or less understand the theoretical aspect of clinical practice, and clinical years have to do with applying what you've learnt to help your patients.

So what I always tell my juniors when they ask me how I did it is that, they have to pay attention to their preclinical years. ‘Get a solid foundation in your basic sciences and your clinical years would just be a walk in the park. That's for academics.’

For general relationship; family life, you always have to know that you're in a profession that's meant to help people. So you should have the innate attitude of helping people. You'd encounter people who will need your help one way or the other.

Always have a good heart and try to help people as much as possible. Not just financial help. It could be emotional, it could be anything and never do anyone wrong. You'd definitely step on toes but it should never be that I'm intentionally going to hurt this person. You'd offend someone one way or the other but never make it your aim that you are hurting someone intentionally.

And finally, your spiritual life. Grace abounds and you'd always have to tap into it. What I always tell people is that there's the perfect will of God. God doesn't make mistakes so anything that happens in your life just assume that it's all part of a great plan and believe in the perfect will of God. That's it.

AKS: In fact, talking about your family life and in one of your responses, you said you'd have to spend four months out of six years at home. How did you cope with the family?

EAD: Basically, my mother is my family. I have other family members but she's my go to person. She's my best friend, she's my mother and she's my everything. I talk to her maybe two to three times every day.

I know her schedule. So I know the time she'd be in her car going to work. I'd call at that time. I know the time she goes on break and I'd call at that time and I know the time she closes from work.

So you don't necessarily have to be with someone to make the person feel that you are around. You just have to make sure that the person knows you are thinking about them. You keep in touch; text messages, WhatsApp, Voice call, whatever you can do. You don't necessarily have to be around.

AKS: But using text messages, WhatsApp, you are breaking that personal relationship that we all know as Ghanaians.

EAD: The fact of the matter is that you don't have a choice. You have to work with what you have. You won't get a vacation.

AKS: Alright, what would you advise the younger generation. I mean, those in basic and senior high school, not those in medical school? Because everyone looks up to someone for guidance and for success.

EAD: Ok, so when I was in Morning Star, there was a quote on the walls of our resource centre by David Henry, which says "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have always imagined".

Every child, every young person, always imagine how they want to live in future. So go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Take inspiration from whoever you can take inspiration from. Get role models. Take bits and pieces from every role model.

Know what you want to do. Always have a timeline; what you want to do in the next five years, what you want to do in the next 10 years and work towards it. And the final thing is, always look out for people because that's where true happiness comes from. Always make sure you are part of people's joy. You are the source of people's happiness and you'll always be fulfilled.

AKS: Describe your mother in two sentences.

EAD: You see, that's not enough. Two sentences, I can't describe my mother in two sentences.

AKS: Go ahead.

EAD: So my mother...one word - sacrifice. She'll sacrifice everything to see people feel better. My mother is kind. She can't bear to see people suffer. My mother is wise. Having a two-hour conversation with her is very deep and gives you a lot of understanding in life.

My mother is intelligent. My mother... I get overwhelmed. More or less, she is one person that if you were to choose one person to understudy, or one person to always talk to, or one person who will be your friend for the rest of your life, you should pick my mother. She has everything. That's it.

AKS: Thank you very much Dr Nana Akosah Danso.