Grateful patient thanks doctor

It was an emotional moment at the Emergency Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital when 34 -year -old Elizabeth Asimatey walked in with her husband to express gratitude to the medical team for saving her life.

Mrs Asimatey was in November 2018 referred to the facility from the Amasaman Government Hospital after a neighbour’s wall collapsed on her.

According to Dr Henry Bulley, a Physician Consultant at the unit, her condition was a “bad case” as she sustained multiple injuries in her chest, waist and  left foot from the accident.

“Most of the health professionals here who saw her when she was admitted could not identify her when she walked in today because she looked so well, she walks with the support of a Zimmer frame (walking aid) but compared to the state she was in when she was brought in, this is a tremendous change.”

Life-threatening condition    

Recounting the events, Dr Bulley said the patient had to be constantly monitored for the 11 days that she was in the ward because of the severity of her injuries.

The most threatening injury, he explained, was on her respiratory system (tracheobronchial injury) which led to the collapse of one of her lungs, a situation that required immediate surgery to keep her alive.

“The amount of money needed to undergo that surgery was huge and her husband informed us it would take some time to raise. We kept her here while he raised the money and did our best to keep her alive,” he said.

Gratitude

Mr Richard Asimatey, her husband, told The Mirror they were grateful to the medical team (led by Dr Bulley) for their selfless efforts to keep her alive.

He said during the treatment process at the Emergency Unit, they were times when he did not have enough money to pay for some services but the team monitored her constantly and her situation improved day by day.

Even after she was discharged from the emergency unit, Dr Bulley followed up to check on each stage of the treatment in the other departments.

“After the diagnosis, the doctor advised that we focus on the chest surgery since that could save her life. We still owed some money here when we were transferred to the Cardio unit for surgery.

“When we were referred here, I had lost hope, especially looking at her condition and the amount needed for treatment. I also had a negative stereotype about Korle Bu from some stories I have heard in the past,” he noted.

Touched by gesture

Dr Bulley indicated that they were touched by the couple’s show of appreciation and her husband’s commitment during the treatment process.

“Acts like these are what keep us going. The unit is constantly under pressure because some systems don’t work and workers here are easily stressed and frustrated.
 
“For a patient to come back, it means she appreciates our effort. It shows that despite the difficulties, our efforts are appreciated,” he pointed out.

Appeal

Dr Bulley appealed to individuals and groups to come to their aid as the unit needed equipment such as resuscitators, monitors, mobile X-ray machine to help save more lives.

“Anyone who wants to support the unit can come here and we will give details of the specific items or equipment we need,” he stated.