Meet Dr Joana Gunab, a practising medical doctor who is differently abled

Dr Joana Gunab is a medical doctor who has overcome the challenges of being a person who is differently abled, achieving her dream of being in a profession of her dream.

But she wasn't born differently abled; rather, her life took an unexpected turn at the age of four when she was administered a wrong injection by a nurse.

This incident left her disabled in the limb, a condition she has overcome to become a certified medical doctor.

In an interview with Accra-based TV3, Dr Joana shared her story and her journey.

“It started at age four, I was in school one day and I fell ill. So, I was rushed to a private facility and it was a nurse running the place at the time. It was in the night and there was no light, so she used a lantern to administer an injection on my buttocks. Immediately after the injection, I couldn't feel my legs but we went home that night.

“My mother woke me up at dawn the following morning to take me to a bigger hospital for checkup. It was there that I told her that I couldn't get up on my own. Typical of a Ghanaian mother she gave me a spank, thinking I was pranking her as a child to make the sickness appear worse. She attempted to get me on my feet about three different times and realised that I indeed couldn’t get up,” she narrated.

Despite the challenges she faced due to her disability, Dr. Joana pursued her dream of becoming a medical doctor.

However, even within the medical profession, she said she encounters stigmatisation, and scepticism from some patients.

“There was a gentleman who was brought in and I was the medical doctor there for surgical rotation and I had to attend to him. He first of all looked at me up and down, took a second look at me and asked if I was the doctor. My answer to him was positive and he called his relatives and said he doesn't think I can help him, so they should find a different doctor to help him out.

"When he noticed that for about two hours no other doctor was coming, he now told the family members to come and tell me that he is okay to accept the treatment.

“Another man also told me point blank that he wasn't sure I was a woman and also being a physically disabled person, he doesn't see how I could have learnt to become a medical doctor and also treat him when I couldn't cure my own disability,” she added.

Watch Dr Joana Gunab’s interview below:

.@Drgunab was used to hearing no from lots of people. One day she decided to ignore the naysayers and say "yes" to pursuing her dream of becoming a medical doctor.

Today, she not only a medical doctor but also a disability advocate leading the conversation on inclusion in the… pic.twitter.com/kjxOqzh8RF

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) January 22, 2024