Medical outreach in Uganda: challenges, insights and hope
We specifically commissioned a medical team to provide comprehensive healthcare on site – while we were there during our July trip to Uganda – for the children of our children’s home and the people of the surrounding village. This outreach was a central part of our trip and left us with deeply moving impressions.
On the day of the outreach, about 650 people were examined – around 300 orphans and many more children and adults from the village. While the examinations were going on, we offered those waiting distraction and hope with stories, music and sermons about the Gospel.
The blood samples analysed on site revealed shocking figures: 24% had malaria, 7.4% HIV and 20.8% typhoid.
In brief:
- Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that causes high fever and severe exhaustion. Without treatment it can be fatal.
- HIV severely weakens the immune system. Without medication it leads to AIDS.
- Typhoid is spread through contaminated water and causes high fever and abdominal pain, sometimes with serious consequences if left untreated.
Wherever possible, acute complaints were treated straight away. But many illnesses need minor operations or longer courses of treatment, which are hardly accessible here. The health system is underfunded and poorly equipped – without money, there is practically no treatment.
An important part of the outreach was hygiene education given by a nurse. Clean water and good hygiene are essential to prevent disease. Fortunately, we have had a clean drinking water well for a year now. Even so, everyone needs to learn to wash their hands properly before cooking and after going to the toilet.
The condition of many of the children and their huts shook us deeply. Rubbish lies everywhere, illness is ever-present, and corruption makes it hard for people to improve their lives.
Our medical outreach is only one small building block, but it shows how urgently help is needed – medical help, education and building up infrastructure. We are grateful to be able to help directly, and we hope that this brings new hope.
