Dr. Sen

We heard about Dr. Sen from another VSO volunteer and of course we had to meet her. While at the Regional hospital, to attend the wheelchair donation programme, we made sure we went to the labour ward. We saw this small Indian woman in her sari with an entourage doing a ward round. She was really pleased to see us. We made a date to meet her at her house.
Dr. Sen graduated in Calcutta, worked there for a few years before going to England to do post graduation. She worked in different cities in the UK for nine years. She says she had a "mini" to travel around and made the most of it and can still recount all her journeys and cities she has been to. This was in the early 1960s so she would have been a real minority, an Indian and a woman doctor as well as being tiny. I am sure she endeared herself to her patients and colleagues as she is quite a character.
She decided to “challenge” herself and followed another Indian doctor to work in a mission hospital in Ghana. The other doctor only lasted one year and Dr. Sen has been in Ghana for over 40 years and in Ho for 30 years. I am sure a majority of children born in the Regional hospital have been under her care. In fact we were together at a hotel in Ho where a young man overheard who she was and came to introduce himself and to congratulate her. Last month the Health Ministry awarded her a gold medal and a commendation for her 40 years of work in Ghana. However, the same health ministry and not giving her pension so as a result she continues to work even though she needs a cataract operation, has a hearing difficulty and needs dentures. She is in her mid to late 70s and she goes to work everyday. She has given her life to improving health care in Ghana so it must be devastating to have to fight for what is her right. She says she is tired and cannot carry on any more. We have agreed to help and support her if she can find all the papers! She has amazing stories to tell and keeps saying her friends say she should write a book and it would be an interesting read.
Her house is stuck in the 60s and Michael was dying to take photos and picked up his courage on our third visit to ask her permission. He garden is lovely and every time we visit, she gives us fresh mangoes, papaya, limes and “noni” which is the same family as custard apple but much larger.
Dr. Sen needs a lot of support and so she has a young Ghanain man (nearly 18 years old) living with her. She pays for his education, boarding lodging and clothes. In return he has to help her with all the chores. On our first visit when she called out for “Gandhi” we thought she had given him a new name. Gandhi is his real name and his father had been in India for a few years and decided to name his son after Mahatma Gandhi who he admired hugely. Whenever, we visit we always hear shouts of “Gandhiiiii......” and Gandhi takes his own time responding “Coming ma”.