Medical Work on Uganda Mission Trip

The roles of our team members varied on this trip to Uganda.  Some did construction, some did Bible studies, and some did home visits.  My role, primarily, was to provide medical care.  All of our roles had a commonality in that they were to glorify God in serving the people of Kamonkoli.

Our team was able to acquire a large of amount of medications and medical supplies and bring them to Uganda.  These medications were used throughout our stay to treat patients at Marah Clinic.   What was left over, which was a lot, was left in the very capable hands of Michael Namai, a Clinical Officer (physician's assistant) who works with Hines Ugandan Ministries.  He will use them to continue to meet the medical needs of HUM and the people of Kamonkoli. 

Dr. Jason and Michael sorting medicines

Marah Clinic is a small clinic that is located adjacent to the compound where we stayed.  Their staff provide basic health care services for the village of Kamonkoli, including HIV and malaria blood testing in their small lab, serve as midwives to many of the pregnant woman of the village, as well as run a vaccination program for the children of Kamonkoli. 

Sign of lab services provided

The lab -- HIV and Malaria testing

Florence, the head midwife, in her supply room at the clinic

Labor and Delivery room

The injection room

They were gracious enough to allow me to use their facility to see patients this week.  Their staff: Margaret, Florence, Mili, Andrew and Robert were very helpful, and we ended up seeing over 100 patients.  Their ailments varied including anemia, upper respiratory infections, hypertension, malaria, typhoid, HIV-related conditions, as well as muscular-skeletal problems and skin infections.  We were able to provide antibiotics and other medications.  A couple of patients required care beyond the scope of our clinic, but we were able to provide resources for them to travel to the nearby town of Mbale to get further care. 

The Doctor is in!

It was a pleasure to work with Michael.  He proved to be very knowledgeable and clinically savvy.   His ambition is to work with HUM to open a clinic to provide free care to HUM sponsored children, their families, and the people of  Kamonkoli.  We did much planning this week to that end, and it is our prayer that we can get a temporary clinic opened very soon and ultimately a permanent clinic built as part of the development of the HUM project.  Michael is a huge asset to the people of Kamonkoli, and I am very confident he is going to provide excellent care for them.  It is our goal to work along side him, helping to provide medications, medical supplies, and financial resources to make this clinic a success. 

Michael at the General Clinic in Mbale Town

Two patients stuck out to me in particular.  The first is a 30 year old man with psychiatric issues.  He has been struggling with the problem since the age of 22, but has not been able to get any medical attention.   This past week, he finally received the evaluation he needed.  We were able to see that he got a medical evaluation as well as a consultation with a psychiatrist.  A treatment plan was established for him involving an inpatient stay and on-going therapy.  We pray that through this treatment plan and God's hand,  this gentleman will once again become a productive member of the village and be a testament to what Godly love in action can result in. 

The second patient, was not one I saw directly. It was a little boy that was born into this world just 2 doors down from where I was seeing patients.  I had been talking to one of the clinic workers about the government-run HIV program in Uganda and particularly about the efforts to reduce the rates of transmission from mother to baby.  And then, I heard the cry of a new born baby.

I waited an hour or two and then went to see him.  There on a hard table lay the baby beside his young mother, who was wearing her gomez (fancy Ugandan dress) .  The little boy was lying peacefully, sucking his thumb.  He had a full head of hair and looked healthy, weighing a little over 7 lbs.  The mother was 19 years old and this was her second child.  The father was not there at the time.  He was out trying to borrow 30,000 shillings ($12) to pay for the delivery.   Our team was able to help them.  The mother hadn't eaten, and we were able to gather a bag of food for her, provide some clothes and a quilt for the baby, and took care of the delivery costs.  

The more I looked at this child, the reality of his future began to set in.  This boy, only hours old, was born in Uganda, one of the poorest countries on earth.  He was born in a country where there is lack of clean water, nutrition, immunizations, money, education, and hope.  I thought back to my own birth, and the birth of my son, and what vastly different circumstances we were born into compared to this boy.   The only thing that separates our circumstances is God's sovereign grace.  I began to think about what the weeks and months to come would bring to this child.  No doubt, bouts with malaria will ensue, along with parasitic worm infestations, malnutrition, and all the other maladies common in the developing world.  The unfairness of it saddens me. 

The dim reality of his future makes my heart ache, yet it does not have to be this way, not for this boy and his future.  Not for the children of Hines Ugandan Ministries.  Not for the children of Kamonkoli.  If we would but follow the "true religion" of caring for the widows and orphans as described in James 1:27, we could provide these children, and this generation of Kamonkoli a brighter future.  One that would give them access to clean water, nutritious food, freedom from disease, and an education that would help them rise above the poverty that is Uganda.  Most importantly, it would give them a future basked in and supported by a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  With Him, all things would be possible, even here in Uganda. 

This little boy will remain in our thoughts and prayers, because he is a living representation of what is Uganda and the whole developing world.  He represents the enormous challenges that are in need of a gracious, all-powerful, loving God that I know and believe will provide. 

This week marked the beginning of an asserted effort to meet the on-going medical needs of Kamonkoli, in addition to the spiritual and physical needs of the children of Hines Ugandan Ministries. 

Dr. Allen J. Holmes