Women’s Contributions to Biomedical Healthcare in Ghana: A Focus on Obuasi

Samuel  Adu-Gyamfi; Benjamin  Dompreh Darkwa; Regina  Adwoa Agyeiwaa Boateng; Lucky  Tomdi

doi:10.3989/chdj.2022.009

Authors

Samuel Adu-Gyamfi Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0193-867X
Benjamin Dompreh Darkwa University of Alberta https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1662-9789
Regina Adwoa Agyeiwaa Boateng Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7399-8129
Lucky Tomdi University of New Brunswick https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0463-5797

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/chdj.2022.009

Keywords:

Women, Contribution, Biomedicine, Healthcare, Obuasi

Abstract

From economic, through politics to domestic support, women have been the major engineers of valuable roles towards the development of every culture. Historically, their impacts in medicine and healthcare in general have been evident across time and space. Prior to European influx and the modernization of healthcare in Ghana, women delivered such roles that simulate that of modern midwives, nurses, herbalists and priestesses. Although, denied access to formal education in the colonial days, because of cultural reasons, women have risen to occupy central stages in biomedical services. Regardless of their numerical strength and contributions towards the provision of healthcare, they have been neglected and marginalized both within the society and by scholars. Significantly, the place of Obuasi, in particular, within the literature on women’s contribution to healthcare delivery has received little attention. Dwelling on a qualitative research approach grounded in both primary and secondary data, the current study attempted a prime discourse on the contribution of women in the biomedical spheres using the Obuasi community as a case study. The current study has revealed that women as nurses and midwives work toward reducing child mortality and improvement of maternal health. Also, we have analyzed the challenges women face within the biomedical sphere as nurses and midwives.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abane, H. A. (2004) "'The Girls do not Learn Hard Enough so they cannot do certain types of Work.' Experiences from an NGO-Sponsored Gender Sensitization Workshop in a Southern Ghanaian Community." Community Development Journal, 39 (1), pp. 49-61. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/39.1.49

Adu-Gyamfi, S. and Adjei, R. (2017) Traditional Medicine: Narratives from an Indigenous Population. Beau Basin: Lambert Academic Publishing.

Adu-Gyamfi, S. and Brenya, E. (2016) "Nursing in Ghana: A Search for Florence Nightingale in an African City." International Scholarly Research Notices, 3, pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9754845 PMid:27382644 PMCid:PMC4897112

Adu-Gyamfi, S., Amakye-Boateng, K., Nyaaba, A. Y., Acheampong, A. B., Awuah, D. B. and Oware, R. (2019) "Women and Medicine: A Historical and Contemporary Study on Ghana." Ethnologia Actualis, 19(2), pp. 34-56. https://doi.org/10.2478/eas-2020-0003

Adu-Gyamfi, S., Gyasi, R. M., and Poku, B. A. (2018) "Women Assisting Women in a Village in Ghana: The Role of Traditional Birth Attendants in Wurubegu-Anansu." International Journal of Body, Mind & Culture, 5 (1), pp. 46-60.

Agyei-Baffour, P., Rominski, S., Nakua, E. K., Gyakobo, M. and Lori, J. R. (2013) "Factors that Influence Midwifery Students in Ghana when Deciding where to Practice: A Discrete Choice Experiment." BMC Medical Education, 13 (1), pp. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-13-64 PMid:23642076 PMCid:PMC3684532

Aidoo, A. A. (1985) "Women in the History and Culture of Ghana." Research Review, 1 (1), pp. 14-51.

Akiwumi, A. (1971) Higher Education for Nurses. Accra: Ghana Universities Press.

Alesina, A., Giuliano, P., and Nunn, N. (2013) "On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough." The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128 (2), pp. 469-530. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjt005

Ampene, E. (1965) "A Study in Urbanization: Progress Report on Obuasi Project." Michigan State University Library. Available at: https://d.lib.msu.edu/asrv/90 [Accessed 4 May 2019].

Anyidoho, N. A., Tagoe, C. A., Adjei, M., Appiah, E., Yeboah-Banin, A. A., Crentsil, A., Oduro-Frimpong, J., Owusu, A. and Torvikey, D. (2016) Shakespeare Lives in Ghana: Roles, Representations and Perceptions of Women. Accra: The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER). Available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org.gh/sites/default/files/shakespeare_lives_women_in_contemporary_ghana_final_report_4_april.pdf [Accessed 19 April 2019].

Apanga, P. A., and Awoonor-William, J. K. (2018) "Maternal Death in Rural Ghana: A Case Study in the Upper East Region of Ghana." Front Public Health, 6 (101), pp. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00101 PMid:29686982 PMCid:PMC5900389

Arhin, K. (1983) "The Political and Military Roles of Akan Women." In: C. Oppong, ed., Female and Male in West Africa. London: Allen and Unwin, pp. 91-98.

Beach, M. C., Duggan, P. S., Cassel, C. K. and Geller, G. (2007) "What Does 'Respect' Mean: Exploring the Moral Obligation of Health Professionals to Respect Patients." Journal of General Internal Medicine, 22 (5), pp. 692-695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-006-0054-7 PMid:17443381 PMCid:PMC1852905

Beatley, B. (1995) "Another Look at Women's Education." Journal of Higher Education, 22 (1), pp.1-18. https://doi.org/10.2307/1976255

Berlin, G., Darino, L., Greenfield, M., and Starikova, I. (2019) Women in the Healthcare Industry. Healthcare Systems & Services and Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products Practices. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Healthcare%20Systems%20and%20Services/Our%20Insights/Women%20in%20the%20healthcare%20industry/Women-in-the-healthcare-industry-FINAL.pdf?shouldIndex=false [Accessed 4 May 2020].

Berniell, M. I. (2012) "The Effects of Working Hours on Health Status and Health Behaviors." 15th IZA European Summer School in Labor Economics. Available at http://conference.iza.org/conference_files/SUMS2012/berniell_m7629.pdf

Bernstrøm, V. H., Alves, D. E., Ellingsen, D. and Ingelsrud, M. H. (2019) "Healthy Working Time Arrangements for Healthcare Personnel and Patients: A Systematic Literature Review." BMC Health Service Research, 19 (193). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-3993-5 PMid:30917819 PMCid:PMC6437911

Boniol, M., McIsaac, M., Xu, L., Wuliji, T., Diallo, K. and Campbell, J., ed. (2019) "Gender Equity in the Health Workforce: Analysis of 104 Countries." Health Workforce Working paper 1. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/311314/WHO-HIS-HWF-Gender-WP1-2019.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y&te=1&nl=in-her%20words&emc=edit_gn_20200312 [Accessed 4 May 2019].

Bourne, P. G. and Wikler, N. J. (1978) "Commitment and the Cultural Mandate: Women in Medicine." Social Problems, 25 (4), pp. 430-440. https://doi.org/10.2307/800495

Budu, H. I., Abalo, E. M., Bam, V. B., Agyemang, D. O., Noi, S., Budu, F. A., Peprah, P. (2019) ""I prefer a male nurse to a female nurse": Patients' Preference for, and Satisfaction with Nursing Care Provided by Male Nurses at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital." BMC Nursing, 18 (47). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0369-4 PMid:31641337 PMCid:PMC6802348

Chapman, C. M. (1980) "The Rights and Responsibilities of Nurses and Patients". Journal of Advanced Nursing, 5 (2), pp. 127-134. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.1980.tb00943.x PMid:6898625

Ditommaso, E., Rheaume, A., Woodside, R., and Gautreau, G. (2003) "Why Students Choose Nursing: A Decade Ago, Most Nursing Students said that they Chose Nursing because they wanted to care for People and help others. Are those desires still true today?" The Canadian Nurse, 99 (5), pp. 25-29.

Flavin, B. (2018). "9 Duties of a Nurse That Might Surprise You." Available at: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/surprising-duties-of-a-nurse/

Frimpong, D. K. (2016) Men in Female-Dominated Profession: The Lived Experiences of Ghanaian Male Nurses in the United States. [PhD Dissertation] Lesley University. Available at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=education_dissertations [Accessed 5 May 2019].

Gostin, L. O. (1995) "Informed Consent, Cultural Sensitivity and Respect for Persons". Journal of American Medical Association, 272 (10), pp. 844-845. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1995.03530100084039

Heath, R. and Jayachandran, S. (2017) "The Causes and Consequences of Increased Female Education and Labor Force Participation in Developing Countries." The Oxford Handbook of Women and the Economy. https://doi.org/10.3386/w22766

Hickey, N., Sumsion, J., and Harrison, L. (2013) "Why nursing? Applying a Socio‐Ecological Framework to Study Career Choices of Double Degree Nursing Students and Graduates." Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69 (8), pp. 1714-1724. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12029 PMid:23057783

Jahoda M. (1982) Employment and Unemployment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Jahre, M., Dumoulin, L., Greenhalgh, L. B., Hudspeth, C., Limlim, P., and Spindler, A. (2012) "Improving Health in Developing Countries: Reducing Complexity of Drug Supply Chains." Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 2 (1), pp. 54-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/20426741211226000

Jefferson, L., Bloor, K. and Maynard, A. (2015) "Women in Medicine: Historical Perspectives and Recent Trends." British Medical Bulletin, 114 (1), pp. 5-15. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldv007 PMid:25755293

Johnson‐Saylor, M. T. (1984) "Unemployment and Health: Issues in a Primary Care Nursing Practice."Public Health Nursing, 1 (2), pp. 74-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1446.1984.tb00435.x PMid:6567932

Karimi, H. and Alavi, M. N. (2015) "Florence Nightingale: The Mother of Nursing." Nursing and Midwifery Studies, 4 (2), e29475. https://doi.org/10.17795/nmsjournal29475 PMid:26339672 PMCid:PMC4557413

Kleinsinger, F. (2010) "Working with the Noncompliant Patient." The Permanente Journal, 14 (1), pp. 54-60. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/09-064 PMid:20740133 PMCid:PMC2912714

Lauffenburger, J. C., Khan, N. F., Brill, G. and Choudhry, N. K. (2019) "Quantifying Social Reinforcement among Family Members on Adherence to Medications for Chronic Conditions: A US-based Retrospective Cohort Study." Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34 (6), pp. 855-861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-018-4654-9 PMid:30406566 PMCid:PMC6544705

Lori, J. R., Rominski, S., Richardson, J., Agyei-Baffour, P., Kweku, N. E. and Gyakobo, M. (2012) "Factors Influencing Ghanaian Midwifery Students' Willingness to Work in Rural Areas: A Computerized Survey." International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49 (7), pp. 834-841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.02.006 PMid:22385911 PMCid:PMC4913468

Manso, J. F., Annan, J. and Anane, S. S. (2013) "Assessment of Logistics Management in Ghana Health Service." International Journal of Business and Social Research, 3 (8), pp. 75-87.

Manuh, T. (1991) "Women and their Organizations During the Convention People's Party." In: K. Arhin, ed., Life and Work of Kwame Nkrumah: Papers of a Symposium. Accra, New Jerssey: Sedco/Africa World Press, pp. 101-127.

Matthews, B. (1976) "Women, Education and History." Theory into Practice, 15 (1), pp.47-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405847609542608

Ministry of Health (MoH). (2012) Ministry of Health: Referral Policy and Guidelines. Available at: https://www.moh.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Referral-Policy-Guidelines.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2020].

Naghavi, S., Mehrolhassani, M. H., Nakhaee, N. and Yazdi-Feyzabadi, V. (2019) "Effective Factors in Non-compliance with Therapeutic Orders of Specialists in Outpatient Clinics in Iran: A Qualitative Study." BMC Health Service Research, 19, pp. 413-428. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4229-4 PMid:31234854 PMCid:PMC6591863

Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA). (2013) Obuasi Municipal Assembly. Available at: http://ghanadistricts.com/Home/District/23 [Accessed 6 May 2020].

Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA). (n.d.) Municipal Action Plan for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa (2008-2009). Available at: http://www.ssfghana.org/images/Obuasi_Municipal.pdf [Accessed 6 May 2020].

Ofosu-Mensah, E. A. (2010) "Traditional Gold Mining in Adanse." Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19 (2), pp. 124-147.

Ofosu-Mensah, E. A. (2012) "Gold Mining and the Development of Obuasi in Adanse." A paper presented at the International Mining History Congress. April 17 - April, 20, 2012. Johannesburg, South Africa.

Opare, M. and Mill, J. E. (2000) "The Evolution of Nursing Education in a Postindependence Context-Ghana from 1957 to 1970." Western Journal of Nursing Research, 22 (8), pp. 936-944. https://doi.org/10.1177/01939450022044890 PMid:11109410

Osseo-Asare, A. D. (2013) "Scientific Equity: Experiments in Laboratory Education." Isis, 104 (4), pp. 713-741. https://doi.org/10.1086/674941 PMid:24783491

Pompilio, E. (2020). "Gender Roles in Nursing." Elite Healthcare. Available at: https://www.elitecme.com/resource-center/nursing/gender-roles-in-nursing/ [Accessed 5 May 2020].

Rajan, D. (2018) "Negative Impacts of Heavy Workload: A Comparative Study among Sanitary Workers." Sociology International Journal, 2 (6), pp. 465-474. https://doi.org/10.15406/sij.2018.02.00086

Roberts, J. (2011) "Remembering Korle Bu: Biomedical Heritage and Colonial Nostalgia in the Golden Jubilee Souvenir." History in Africa, 38, pp. 193-226. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41474550 [Accessed 9 Oct. 2018]. https://doi.org/10.1353/hia.2011.0006

Robertson, C. C. (1984) "Formal or Nonformal Education? Entrepreneurial Women in Ghana." Comparative Education Review, 28 (4), pp. 639-658. https://doi.org/10.1086/446472

Rogers, A. E., Hwang, W., Scott, L. D., Aiken, L. H. and Dinges, D. F. (2004) "The Working Hours of Hospital Staff Nurses and Patient Safety." Health Affairs, 23 (4), pp. 202-212. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.23.4.202 PMid:15318582

Russell, S., Daly, J., Hughes, E. and Hoog-co, C. (2003) "Nurses and 'Difficult' Patients: Negotiating Non-compliance." Journal of Advanced Nursing, 43 (3), pp. 281-287. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02711.x PMid:12859787

Sharif, S. A., Ogunbanjo, G. A. and Malete, N. H. (2003) "Reasons for Non-compliance to Treatment among Patients with Psychiatric Illness: A Qualitative Study." South African Family Practice, 45 (4), pp. 10-13.

Silva, D. A. and Marcolan, J. (2015) "Unemployment and Psychological Distress in Nurses." Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 68 (5), pp. 493-500. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167.2015680502i

Staff Care. (2015) Women in Medicine: A Review of changing Physician Demographics, Female Physicians by Specialty, State and Related Data. Texas: Statesman Drive Ivring. Available at: https://www.staffcare.com/uploadedFiles/women-in-medicine-changing-physician-demographics-white-paper.pdf [Accessed 21 April 2019].

To, S. (2015) China's Leftover Women: Late Marriage among Professional Women and its Consequences. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315857596

Trivedi, R. and Asch, S. M. (2019) "Can We Improve Patient Adherence by Harnessing Social Forces?" Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34, pp. 785-786. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-04856-4 PMid:30887442 PMCid:PMC6544675

Tucker, P. T. and Folkard, S. (2012) Working Time, Health and Safety: A Research Synthesis Paper. Geneva: International Labour Office, Series No. 31.

Twumasi, P. A. (1975) Medical Systems in Ghana: A Study in Medical Sociology. Accra: Ghana Publishing Corporation.

Tye, J. (2015) "10 Leadership Lessons from Florence Nightingal" Available at: https://www.connectionculture.com/post/10-leadership-lessons-from-florence-nightingale [Accessed 5 May 2020].

World Health Organization. (2018) World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/maternal-health#tab=tab_1 [Accessed 21 April 2019].