I Can’t Abandon My Father: Covid-19 and Lay Caregiving at the Crossroads in the Eastern Regional Hospital of Ghana.

Abstract

Lay caregivers play very important roles in the care of sick relations. This primordial support appears to be universal but manifests itself in different ways and circumstances. Ghanaian public health institutions, especially, depend very much on lay caregivers in the management of in-patients. However, with the emergence of Covid-19, and the fear of nosocomial infections one expects less involvement of lay caregivers; looms large. This fear has been heightened by the presence of the deadly corona virus pandemic. In spite of the respectable volume of works on lay caregivers, there is dearth of literature on the factors that influence relations to provide care in the clinical set-up in spite of the care given by the professional cohort and the possible threats to health of lay caregivers. This is the classic case of a clash between health professionals and non-professionals in the performance of tasks with the same goal orientation: to assist the sick to get out of their sick role. This hospital ethnographic study which focused on the Koforidua Regional Hospital, explored the compelling socio-cultural factors that influence lay caregiving in the hospital environment. The study is especially relevant in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study involved interviews with patients in a medical ward, health professionals and lay caregivers in the regional hospital. The study revealed that lay caregivers, among other reasons, are influenced by socio-cultural factors such as reciprocity and kinship moral obligations, and the perceived poor attitude of the health staff towards patients. Institutionally, although the medical staff found lay involvement unwelcome, shortage of staff, the severity of a patient’s condition, and lack of certain facilities make lay involvement a ‘tolerated nuisance.’