Being a nurse, I am very interested in observing health care in other nations - especially third world countries. Since we have done most of the visiting and distributing supplies among the villages, I have been able to visually assess the obvious sickness and disease rampant in especially the children, and yet much of it can be prevented by educating and implementing basic personal hygiene and proper nutrition. I also had the opportunity to today to visit the local hospital and a few of the outpatient clinics in town. I am so used to HIPPA regulations in the US that I intentionally left my camera at home and unfortunately didn’t capture any visual explanation of what I experienced. (There is no such thing as HIPPA here, btw. I could have taken pictures.)
Paul explained to me as we entered the hospital grounds that each building (known as a ward) houses specific disease states. For example, there is a TB unit, HIV / Aids Units, Labor and Delivery, Pediatric, Theater (Surgery), etc. They are long rectangular cinder block buildings. I didn’t count, but I would guesstamate around 10-15 of them. Most had multiple rooms that contained 6-8 beds. I learned that the patient had to provide their own bedding, often their own mattress, their own meals, and their own nursing care. There are nurses around that may administer medications and there is a doctor that makes rounds, but there is no dietician, social services, etc. During my visit, the sidewalks and grounds surrounding the buildings had many people sitting around, sleeping, eating, preparing meals, and doing laundry. These are the patients’ family members who come to live at the hospital to care for their loved ones.
The nursing staff at the hospital greeted and welcomed us and inviting us to tour the grounds unaccompanied. They were a breath of fresh air in an otherwise less than hygienic environment. I believe they genuinely care for people and have the desire to improve the care and quality of their facility.
We walked through the L & D ward where I was struck by the vast difference to what I am accustomed to in the US. There were two large rooms filled with pregnant women whose sagging bellies were only matched by the sagging mattresses. Most were laying in the beds, some with IV’s, some with newborns, most with family members sitting at the end of the bed, on the floors, or even napping in the bed with the patient. The water in the basins was dirty, the IV’s lacked IV poles, dirty dishes were laying around. I don’t really know what protocol is in place, I just know I am far away from home and I wouldn’t want to have a baby here, or get stitches, or even receive an injection.
We visited an outpatient clinic where they test and treat malaria - which is the biggest killer in Uganda, along with HIV. This clinic was clean and seemed to have a decent lab, but I was again astounded when I watched the lab techs draw and test blood without wearing gloves. I have the understanding that they wear gloves when gloves available - but that is not the norm. I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Uganda is such a high risk area - HIV, Ebola, Hepatitis, malaria, etc, and yet they don’t even have access to some of the most simple things proven to help stop the spread of disease. My purpose in sharing my experience is not to expose anyone, just to bring to reality what people are dealing with in third world countries.
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