Interview with Dr. Hobson Alifo (b.1957).
Dr Alifo was born in Ghana, he came to the UK in 1990 with his wife to complete his medical training and has been living in Milton Keynes since 1996. He is now a full-time GP, having also worked as a registrar at MK Hospital. He describes his training and the reasons for their choice of MK. Their first impressions of MK were good: the road layout, cleanliness, a good place for children to grow up. His wife liked the city and was offered a job there. He remembers their first house on Bradwell Common: it was ‘such a good feeling for me and my wife having to open the door to our own home’. Once settled he began to be involved with the community, helping to set up the Ghanaian Association, attending the city church, and getting to know neighbours. He comments that life in the UK is ‘not as rosy’ as it seems, but says: ‘I really, really enjoy my work’. He is in regular contact with his family in Ghana using the internet, mobiles, etc. He talks of the differences between healthcare in the UK and Ghana, purely because of resources. He also comments on some experiences of racial prejudice that he has encountered and is concerned about his children’s reactions to prejudice.
He comments on recent changes in MK, with more housing and city centre congestion. He says:’Definitely from the health point of view, the population is outstripping the hospital capacity.’ He comments also that some residents still experience some isolation. In leisure time, he and his family enjoy membership of the David Lloyd gym, and hold a lot of Ghanaian functions; they go to Willen and Emberton Park regularly. ‘Home is where I live now in Milton Keynes, largely. I want to integrate more. Ghana is always going to be the home in my heart’.
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