Faced with many distractions and doubts, she managed to fulfil her dream of becoming a medical doctor despite her disability.
Dr. Joanna Gunab was not born disabled, the unfortunate incident happened to her at age 4 when she felt her leg numbed after receiving injection from a nurse.
“I went to school one day, came back home and I was not feeling well. I was running temperature and they took me to a private hospital and it was a nurse that was running the place. It was in the evening, there was no light, she was using a lantern and she had to give me injection at my buttocks.
“Immediately after the injection I could not walk, I could not feel my legs,” she narrated to TV3‘s Portia Gabor.
The reality then begun to dawn on her. As if it was all not enough, Gunab had to face the naysaying and doubts about her dream of becoming a medical doctor while growing up.
In addition, financial constraints almost truncated her university education at the University of Development Studies.
But fate once again turned out to be the master. Gunab gained a scholarship from the MasterCard Foundation and successfully enrolled the medical school.
She is now living her dream as a medical doctor at the Prescott Medical Centre at Madina, Accra.
“When I started working, I never wanted to be associated with ‘abi’ we said it that she cannot be a medical doctor so when I’m working, I gave it my outmost best,” Dunab stressed.
Even after Dr. Gunab had achieved her dream against all odds, she now has to cross the hurdles of a much bigger problem, stigmatisation.
She narrated that there have been patients who have refused to receive treatment for several times because they had no faith in her.
“There was a gentleman that was brought in and I was on the surgical rotation there and had to attend to him. Frist of all, he looked at me up and down and took a second look at me and asked if I was the doctor to attend to him and I said yes.
“He called his relative and said he does not think I can help him so they should find a different doctor to help him…after two hours there was no doctor coming and now accepted me to treat him.”
Medical Director at Prescott Medical Centre, Dr. Kwame Obuobi-Asare eulogised Dr. Joanna Dunab for her utmost commitment and dexterity to executing her duties.
“Prescott is very proud of her. She is outstanding and she does not allow her disability to limit her when it comes to discharging her duties as a doctor.”
Portia Gabor reports that Dunab together with her colleague are embarking on a philanthropic journey to help children with disability in rural areas to also fulfil their dreams.
Dr. Joanna Gunab advised persons with disability to never give up and continue to hold the fort to their dreams.
“I just want you to know that your disability does not mean the end of your life. If you allow people to tell you it’s the end of your life, they will keep telling you that. I just want you to know that I am constantly routing for you,” she advised.
