Sorry for the gap in entries but we’ve everything from power outages to a elephants blocking our travels. More on that tomorrow.
To catch up, on Wednesday we had wonderful news and a discouraging experience. First, we met with the deans of the Schools of Medicine and Nursing at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Both were fully supportive of the children’s hospital idea and pledged to work with the diocese as the project progresses. We also learned a lot more how about how doctors, and especially nurses, are trained. We were happy to find out that advanced training is available for nurses, including in pediatrics. Hopefully at some point the programs will be ramped up to ensure a steady supply of nurses who can practice at an advanced level.
The discouraging part of the day came when we visited Mbarara University Hospital, which is Mbarara’s public hospital. The conditions were very grim, even by Ugandan standards. Wards were so crowded with patients and their families that they appeared impossible to keep clean. The staff had little space to move around. The windows had no screens, and none of the beds were mosquito-netted. In other words, patients – especially the children – were being cared for in conditions very similar to the ones that brought them in in the first place.
Please understand that the staff at the hospital is fully aware of its shortcomings. They work very hard, but the odds against them are vast. They turn no one away. Their funding is eternally inadequate. Their equipment is broken and can’t be fixed because it is obsolete. For example, both the hospital’s x-ray machines have been broken for more than a year, and bureaucracy is holding up a decision about getting new ones.
One bright spot at the hospital is the lab, which spends most of its time working on HIV testing. As you may know, Uganda has made remarkable progress in reducing its HIV infection rates. It shows that progress can be made with the right investments.
We came back from the hospital and set right to work on our report to Archbishop Paul’s hospital planning committee. Dr. Hunter jotted down a few notes, then we all sat around a table with a laptop computer and jointly wrote a first draft. Our recommendation: a strong “thumbs up” for the hospital, along with a concurrent program to train lay community health workers.
Fr. Bonaventure dropped in for a preview of what we would tell the bishop the next day, and he left very enthusiastic. On Thursday morning Dr. Hunter met informally with Archbishop Paul for his preview, then the whole committee met with all of us for the formal presentation, and when I say formal, I mean formal.
I’ve never been an official visitor before, so I’m not used to being treated like a VIP. But here, it’s formal introductions at every meeting (Dr. Hunter’s doing a great job on this), a blessing, opening remarks, etc., etc., etc. A confession: it gets a little tiring, but our welcomes are so warm and everyone we meet is so happy to see us that we really can’t complain. Plus, there’s refreshments at every stop.
I haven’t seen one ice cube since we got here. Refrigerated soda and water is common, but room temperature soda and water is even more common and we’ve gotten used to it.
Anyway, back to the meeting with Archbishop Paul. It was very successful. Fr. Bonaventure gave a nice summary of what we had done up to then, then Dr. Hunter took the floor and made a good presentation. The committee’s questions were cogent and the suggestions they made were good ones. We concluded with action plans for both sides of the globe and now the project is in the hands of the Ugandans (and their American supporters at San Rafael Parish). We from USD will be standing by, of course, to assist whenever we can.
Then it was a lovely lunch with the Sisters of Good Counsel, Sister Margaret's order. I met Sister Margaret’s Mother Superior, Sister Romina, and told her what a great job Margaret had been doing keeping us out of trouble. Margaret saw me talking to Romina and I loved teasing her about what I had said. I finally broke down and told her, but I don’t think she believed me.
After the meeting the Archbishop gave us the rest of the day off, so we hustled off to Queen Elizabeth National Park for some wildlife viewing and a good dinner.
More on that tomorrow. By the way, at the bottom of each blog entry is a place for you to add a comment if you would like. We would LOVE to hear from you.
Love from Uganda,
Joanne of the USD-Uganda team
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