Hitting Close to Home
Sammed (the photographer) is pictured here with his mother Chefo. She has been sick for 11 months now. She suffers from Hypertension, diabetes and rheumatism (locally called sasabro) and stomach ulcer. She goes for a check up every month but she needs herbal treatment in a village for her rheumatism. The treatment costs 300 Ghana Cedi (about 300 dollars), but she cannot afford this. She is helped by her son who is a student and does part time jobs to cater for the mother. He earns 28 Ghana Cedi per month. (Less than 30 dollars per month).
Editor’s Note: Although Ghana is supposed to have a National Health Insurance Scheme many people who have registered and have paid their fee have not received their cards yet. Sammed’s mother (and family) applied for the card more than six months ago, and each time they go to the office to ask about their cards they are told to come back later.
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the ... ... read more 
