UgandAshis 27 Time flies
July 7, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
Wow two weeks and no writing.
Too long
Let us start saying that since about a week a friend, fellow fraternity brother and future surgeon Dr Nard from the Netherlands has joined me. He is in his first year of his specialization in facial surgery and this is his first visit (and time to work) in Africa. Some of the good and bad of Uganda has happened to him over the last few days.
First I would like to congratulate him and his girlfriend for buying a house in Utrecht as per yesterday. Lonneke will come and tour here in about four and a half week. I am looking forward to meet her after 10 years.
As I see Nard immerse in Uganda culture I feel protective, as if you want to give a younger brother the best there is to be seen knowing that not all is beautiful or easy to understand. Besides crossing roads he is doing great. Being of surgical inclination I have nicknamed him Dr Vlimmen (A Dutch cult hero in a novel written about 80 years ago) and we share the same passion for birds. As I write this a hawk is circling around my house. Yellow beaked and looking for a rodent or large rodent I guess. Our favorite bird is the marabou, with its carnavalesque beak on top of a white boa and black feathers.
As Nard is both a dentist as well as a medical doctor in Fort Portal he is working in the dentistry and surgical department s. It is not easy to explain to a patient who has travelled 200 kilometer that the material required to fill his tooth has run out and that he will have to return another day. Yet here we do it and travelling 200 kilometer may take the whole day and several days’ salary.
The first night he was here I took him to 3 of my favorite pubs, clubs and restaurants. An Eritrean restaurant across the street, a huge pool bar (9 tables) annex bar/dancing and the classic of classics; Al’s Bar. In Al’s Bar you can feel time warped as the action starts at 0300 AM earliest and the music seldom goes beyond the end of the seventies. And what a collection of music the owner has. In the restaurant we met Nick one of my dear friends here and several other guys. A straight plunge into a sheesha and discussions of Ugandan culture versus Dutch culture. Nice to hear from the side.
Then almost straight to Fort Portal where we stay at Eveline’s house. As I wrote before she has started a church, a boarding primary school, a health clinic, a maternal health clinic, mobile health clinic and a project for pygmies.
I will ask Nard to write a blog entry for this blog as a guest writer. It is not possible for me to crawl into his shoes all I can see that experiencing the health care system in Uganda and mostly the Ugandans are having a major impact on Nard.
What I will say is that the gift he has taken to our fellow doctors and clinical officer training school, a medical library of about 500 medical textbooks on DVD is the best remedy for a knowledge craving brother and sisterhood of medicine.
Namaskar,
Ashis
Friday, 10 July 2009
Monday, 22 June 2009
UgandAshis 26 Getting organized
UgandAshis 26 Getting organized
June 20, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
Between Eveline and Joseph I am blessed with access to who-is-who in Uganda. Yesterday I met a senior doctor, public health expert, organizational psychologist and consultant for start-up NGO’s. The dear doctor and I rapidly got talking about PGHF and his plans for the next few years. Having ideas is not a problem for me but streamlining them into action plans, a project proposal does not come so easy. In organizational psychological tests I would be coded as yellow as a sunflower. (Creative thinker). My doctor friend is blue (Organizer). Over the next meetings with him I will be able to define crisply the objectives, goals, mission and vision for PGHF Africa. I feel like a little kid in a candy shop, everything is nice and good and possible. Donors apparently reason differently.
We ended up speaking most on the action research he is planning to. Research that will give clear indication what are the costs of operating the different services in the Ugandan health care set up and what are positive outliers (i.e. services that are positive deviants) that have a better outcome despite the same lack of resources that all health centers have. Looking at preventive medicine and seeing which program gives most result for your shilling (cost effectiveness).
He shared with me his rich experience of successes and failures in his career. One of his areas of expertise is HIV/AIDS and he was part of one of the first integrated approaches to care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the home setting. Pre-anti retro viral therapy era that is. Before concepts as social marketing and home based care for chronically ill existed they were doing it in a pilot project in the fort Portal region.
Key to success of programming was active involvement and dialogue with the local people. Realization that stakeholders and decision makers in society are not necessary those in positions of authority and political will from the bottom to the top are quintessential. The pilot turned out to be a major success. Despite open tiffs with the Minister of Health, bill boarding the promotion of use of condoms was not all appreciated the community and local leaders allocated funds to implement the program components of care provision in the homes of PLWHA.
Then the powers that be revolted once the pilot program was over. Despite an absolute lack of resources in hospital settings (remember even today there are only 2000 doctors in Uganda) care for PLWHA has been medicalized and institutionalized and till the day of today is.
I am very much looking forward to speaking with this great human in the future. It is great to know he will help our organization set up shop. He also asked me to help him with his research. Well I hope our university can play a role there.
Simple issues are often made complex by the powers that be. The last question I asked him if he was willing to swim against the stream and speak truth even if that truth was not liked by all. A smile came onto his face and he said that there was a need for facts, currently curiously absent. What politicians and society then decides to do with practical recommendation is up to them. Truth needs to be spoken.
Namaskar,
Ashis
June 20, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
Between Eveline and Joseph I am blessed with access to who-is-who in Uganda. Yesterday I met a senior doctor, public health expert, organizational psychologist and consultant for start-up NGO’s. The dear doctor and I rapidly got talking about PGHF and his plans for the next few years. Having ideas is not a problem for me but streamlining them into action plans, a project proposal does not come so easy. In organizational psychological tests I would be coded as yellow as a sunflower. (Creative thinker). My doctor friend is blue (Organizer). Over the next meetings with him I will be able to define crisply the objectives, goals, mission and vision for PGHF Africa. I feel like a little kid in a candy shop, everything is nice and good and possible. Donors apparently reason differently.
We ended up speaking most on the action research he is planning to. Research that will give clear indication what are the costs of operating the different services in the Ugandan health care set up and what are positive outliers (i.e. services that are positive deviants) that have a better outcome despite the same lack of resources that all health centers have. Looking at preventive medicine and seeing which program gives most result for your shilling (cost effectiveness).
He shared with me his rich experience of successes and failures in his career. One of his areas of expertise is HIV/AIDS and he was part of one of the first integrated approaches to care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the home setting. Pre-anti retro viral therapy era that is. Before concepts as social marketing and home based care for chronically ill existed they were doing it in a pilot project in the fort Portal region.
Key to success of programming was active involvement and dialogue with the local people. Realization that stakeholders and decision makers in society are not necessary those in positions of authority and political will from the bottom to the top are quintessential. The pilot turned out to be a major success. Despite open tiffs with the Minister of Health, bill boarding the promotion of use of condoms was not all appreciated the community and local leaders allocated funds to implement the program components of care provision in the homes of PLWHA.
Then the powers that be revolted once the pilot program was over. Despite an absolute lack of resources in hospital settings (remember even today there are only 2000 doctors in Uganda) care for PLWHA has been medicalized and institutionalized and till the day of today is.
I am very much looking forward to speaking with this great human in the future. It is great to know he will help our organization set up shop. He also asked me to help him with his research. Well I hope our university can play a role there.
Simple issues are often made complex by the powers that be. The last question I asked him if he was willing to swim against the stream and speak truth even if that truth was not liked by all. A smile came onto his face and he said that there was a need for facts, currently curiously absent. What politicians and society then decides to do with practical recommendation is up to them. Truth needs to be spoken.
Namaskar,
Ashis
UgandAshis 25. Surprise
UgandAshis 25 Surprise
June 20, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
A young friend of mine had his farewell party before going to Italy to become a civil pilot. His party was at one of my favorite hang outs; Kyoto at Centenary Park. While on the dance floor I bumped into Samali Okoth. She is of Russian-Polish-Canadian-Ugandan descent and has spent time in Kenya-Canada and Uganda while growing up. We hit it off straight away and starting swapping our experiences as mixed blood people. Somali is 5 foot 9 and because she practiced body building on a very high level is massively and muscular in her built. She is so big most men are intimidated by her.
Her story about her first day in school in Canada I have to share. As she entered the classroom the teacher Mr. Dyke a world wise 50 year old told the class room that they had a special new classmate. SomaLEE Okoto, eight years old from East Africa. As he unrolled the map of Africa from 1946 with Rhodesia, Tanganyika still on it he asked her to point out Uganda. She found Lake Victoria and happily Mr. Dyke commented that the country being on the equator it must be very hot. He then continued to ask if she lived in a mud hut. The kids joined in with a barrage of questions the first one being if she had a pet lion.
Sincerely peeved by the mispronunciation of her name and the misconceptions of her country Samali she took up her place in the classroom and joined the mathematic class. As she made an error she raised her hand and asks Mr. Dyke for a rubber to rub out the mistake. Mr. Dyke became flush faced and told SomaLEE that in Vancouver the called the device an eraser. To the humor of the class she replied that in Kampala an eraser is to wipe the chalk of the blackboard.
In Uganda the same unbelieving ears as she pronounces her name to anyone Samali. The commonest answer is: “Are you sure?” followed by the same response when they hear her family name Okoth (both names are 100% Ugandan) but Samali has a very light skin. Surely confused the next question if she is sure she is sure. Or Madam you cannot be Ugandan. I just laughed and laughed how often have I been told I cannot be of Indian or of Dutch decent. Seen as a muzungu (white) in Africa and an outlier in Europe. Being of mixed descent is a mixed blessing.
Our night ended with a picnic in the garden after visiting the 24 hour market. It is then that she told me her family ran the first private hospital in Uganda, Nile Hospital in the 1980’s. Due to external circumstances the highly successful business was forced to shut down. And as a consequence she still has the remnants in apparatus (hospital beds, x ray machine, wheelchairs etcetera)
My friend Eveline’s clinic is expanding this week to a second building for mother and child care. The admissions in the first building (14 beds) are maximally occupied and we need beds, wheelchair, second x-ray machine etcetera. Life is full of surprises. Go clubbing and end up with part of the inventory for your new health clinic.
Namaskar,
Ashis
June 20, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
A young friend of mine had his farewell party before going to Italy to become a civil pilot. His party was at one of my favorite hang outs; Kyoto at Centenary Park. While on the dance floor I bumped into Samali Okoth. She is of Russian-Polish-Canadian-Ugandan descent and has spent time in Kenya-Canada and Uganda while growing up. We hit it off straight away and starting swapping our experiences as mixed blood people. Somali is 5 foot 9 and because she practiced body building on a very high level is massively and muscular in her built. She is so big most men are intimidated by her.
Her story about her first day in school in Canada I have to share. As she entered the classroom the teacher Mr. Dyke a world wise 50 year old told the class room that they had a special new classmate. SomaLEE Okoto, eight years old from East Africa. As he unrolled the map of Africa from 1946 with Rhodesia, Tanganyika still on it he asked her to point out Uganda. She found Lake Victoria and happily Mr. Dyke commented that the country being on the equator it must be very hot. He then continued to ask if she lived in a mud hut. The kids joined in with a barrage of questions the first one being if she had a pet lion.
Sincerely peeved by the mispronunciation of her name and the misconceptions of her country Samali she took up her place in the classroom and joined the mathematic class. As she made an error she raised her hand and asks Mr. Dyke for a rubber to rub out the mistake. Mr. Dyke became flush faced and told SomaLEE that in Vancouver the called the device an eraser. To the humor of the class she replied that in Kampala an eraser is to wipe the chalk of the blackboard.
In Uganda the same unbelieving ears as she pronounces her name to anyone Samali. The commonest answer is: “Are you sure?” followed by the same response when they hear her family name Okoth (both names are 100% Ugandan) but Samali has a very light skin. Surely confused the next question if she is sure she is sure. Or Madam you cannot be Ugandan. I just laughed and laughed how often have I been told I cannot be of Indian or of Dutch decent. Seen as a muzungu (white) in Africa and an outlier in Europe. Being of mixed descent is a mixed blessing.
Our night ended with a picnic in the garden after visiting the 24 hour market. It is then that she told me her family ran the first private hospital in Uganda, Nile Hospital in the 1980’s. Due to external circumstances the highly successful business was forced to shut down. And as a consequence she still has the remnants in apparatus (hospital beds, x ray machine, wheelchairs etcetera)
My friend Eveline’s clinic is expanding this week to a second building for mother and child care. The admissions in the first building (14 beds) are maximally occupied and we need beds, wheelchair, second x-ray machine etcetera. Life is full of surprises. Go clubbing and end up with part of the inventory for your new health clinic.
Namaskar,
Ashis
Thursday, 18 June 2009
UgandAshis 24 Sprawling hills
UgandAshis 24 Sprawling hills
June 18, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
I met an elderly shopkeeper yesterday and as we started talking about the Cranes and food we eventually came to talk about the neighborhood I live in right now. It is a in between of suburb, small village and continuation of Kampala city. We live about 5 minutes drive of the shore of Lake Victoria and that is why we have so many predator birds circling around. As we speak I can see two kites (hawks) on the look-out.
He was telling me how 15-20 years ago the hills we were looking at were dense rainforest with exotic flora and fauna. Ggaba then was a beach were some fisher men moored their boats. Now we can see the repetitive red tile roofs and red brick one storey houses. Nickelangelo, my architect friend would say that there is only one blue print on offer to construct houses in the whole of Uganda.
In the Netherlands out of jealousy we always joke how everything in Belgium happens 10 years later. Well all over Africa people are flocking to the smaller and bigger cities, yet in Uganda that trend is present but much delayed. In a population of 30 million Kampala is the biggest city with 1.65 million inhabitants followed by Kira with 205.000, Gulu 146.000, Jinja 132.000, Entebbe 115.000, Mbarara 102.00 and all others information is lacking or are below 100.000. If we add up all the numbers on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Uganda then we can estimate only 10% lives in a city.
Living in Kampala and working in Fort Portal (46.000) gives a much skewed view of what Uganda is. I hope to be travelling more and more to North, East, West and South. Feeling traffic jams, industrial pollution, crowding of people, inner city crime, loose moral of big city inhabitants, unraveling of the social fabric and other big city problems are an issue for the majority of Ugandans is misreading the reality.
The average Ugandan digs, earns about a dollar a day, lives in a rural area with limited access to healthcare, primary education, has bad roads, lack of clean water. Despite to for once quote Winston Churchill ‘Uganda is the pearl of Africa’ problems are present today and with one of the youngest populations in the world deforestation, overgrazing, over use of agricultural land and emptied lakes devoid of fish are current problems bound to get worse.
It is not for a lack of highly educated, motivated, caring people in Uganda. The biggest gift Uganda brings to the world are the kind hearted people. Vision from the leaders in the country, opportunities for loans, integrity by all living and working here and a true open world market would help. The label for Africa as a lost continent is tedious, simpleminded and does not reflect on the talent and potential of the continent.
Namaskar,
Ashis
June 18, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
I met an elderly shopkeeper yesterday and as we started talking about the Cranes and food we eventually came to talk about the neighborhood I live in right now. It is a in between of suburb, small village and continuation of Kampala city. We live about 5 minutes drive of the shore of Lake Victoria and that is why we have so many predator birds circling around. As we speak I can see two kites (hawks) on the look-out.
He was telling me how 15-20 years ago the hills we were looking at were dense rainforest with exotic flora and fauna. Ggaba then was a beach were some fisher men moored their boats. Now we can see the repetitive red tile roofs and red brick one storey houses. Nickelangelo, my architect friend would say that there is only one blue print on offer to construct houses in the whole of Uganda.
In the Netherlands out of jealousy we always joke how everything in Belgium happens 10 years later. Well all over Africa people are flocking to the smaller and bigger cities, yet in Uganda that trend is present but much delayed. In a population of 30 million Kampala is the biggest city with 1.65 million inhabitants followed by Kira with 205.000, Gulu 146.000, Jinja 132.000, Entebbe 115.000, Mbarara 102.00 and all others information is lacking or are below 100.000. If we add up all the numbers on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Uganda then we can estimate only 10% lives in a city.
Living in Kampala and working in Fort Portal (46.000) gives a much skewed view of what Uganda is. I hope to be travelling more and more to North, East, West and South. Feeling traffic jams, industrial pollution, crowding of people, inner city crime, loose moral of big city inhabitants, unraveling of the social fabric and other big city problems are an issue for the majority of Ugandans is misreading the reality.
The average Ugandan digs, earns about a dollar a day, lives in a rural area with limited access to healthcare, primary education, has bad roads, lack of clean water. Despite to for once quote Winston Churchill ‘Uganda is the pearl of Africa’ problems are present today and with one of the youngest populations in the world deforestation, overgrazing, over use of agricultural land and emptied lakes devoid of fish are current problems bound to get worse.
It is not for a lack of highly educated, motivated, caring people in Uganda. The biggest gift Uganda brings to the world are the kind hearted people. Vision from the leaders in the country, opportunities for loans, integrity by all living and working here and a true open world market would help. The label for Africa as a lost continent is tedious, simpleminded and does not reflect on the talent and potential of the continent.
Namaskar,
Ashis
UgandAshis 23. Rwanda's plans for computers for all primary school students by 2012
UgandAshis 23 Rwanda’s plans for computers for all primary school students by 2012
June 17, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
Under the name One Laptop per Child has been launched by Global Center for Excellence in Laptops and Learning in collaboration with the Rwandese government. The plans sound great: all Rwandan primary school children to be supplied with XO laptop by 2012. The cost of the laptop is $100 a subsidized rate. Nicholas Negroponte’s plan to make computers available to all may take off in Rwanda.
Going back for an instant to Uganda when I meet students on the bus traveling up and down to Fort Portal half of them seem to be studying IT. It is a misconception that there are no qualified people to run software or computer hardware companies in East Africa. And at the same time access to internet is costly, low bandwidth and often just not working. I was smirking yesterday when I read a letter to the editor in my Daily Monitor newspaper describing the failing of a competing internet provider (MTN). All the writer could get was the MTN homepage and that for 5 days in a row. It was the letter I was about to write about my provider (UTL). Fortunately for me my connection has been up and running for two days.
The internet connection for Sub Saharan Africa has been depending on costly satellite connection. As we speak the cable that has been laid on the bottom of the ocean has reached Mombasa. So with a bit of luck there should be a normal bandwidth connection in 2010 or 2011 in Kampala. This cable is supposed to hook up most of East, Central, West and Southern Africa.
So with normal bandwidth access to the internet and all primary school kids in Rwanda computer savvy will the next Silicon Valley or Bangalore be in Kigali, Rwanda? Let us hope so. For all the Rwandese have been going through their economy is one of the fastest growing worldwide (not easy when your country is landlocked) It is only 15 years ago when the world watch on to yet another genocide.
An informed and well educated group of youngsters may be key to have Africa as the happening place now and the leading continent worldwide in 50 to 100 years. After all this continent has the resources, the people and when peace is the norm the golden opportunity to shine.
The XO laptop will be introduced in 17 countries in Africa. Let more of the African leaders give their future (the kids) an edge to compete with the world. The 2.2 million in Rwanda may have been given a powerful boost.
Namaskar,
Ashis
June 17, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
Under the name One Laptop per Child has been launched by Global Center for Excellence in Laptops and Learning in collaboration with the Rwandese government. The plans sound great: all Rwandan primary school children to be supplied with XO laptop by 2012. The cost of the laptop is $100 a subsidized rate. Nicholas Negroponte’s plan to make computers available to all may take off in Rwanda.
Going back for an instant to Uganda when I meet students on the bus traveling up and down to Fort Portal half of them seem to be studying IT. It is a misconception that there are no qualified people to run software or computer hardware companies in East Africa. And at the same time access to internet is costly, low bandwidth and often just not working. I was smirking yesterday when I read a letter to the editor in my Daily Monitor newspaper describing the failing of a competing internet provider (MTN). All the writer could get was the MTN homepage and that for 5 days in a row. It was the letter I was about to write about my provider (UTL). Fortunately for me my connection has been up and running for two days.
The internet connection for Sub Saharan Africa has been depending on costly satellite connection. As we speak the cable that has been laid on the bottom of the ocean has reached Mombasa. So with a bit of luck there should be a normal bandwidth connection in 2010 or 2011 in Kampala. This cable is supposed to hook up most of East, Central, West and Southern Africa.
So with normal bandwidth access to the internet and all primary school kids in Rwanda computer savvy will the next Silicon Valley or Bangalore be in Kigali, Rwanda? Let us hope so. For all the Rwandese have been going through their economy is one of the fastest growing worldwide (not easy when your country is landlocked) It is only 15 years ago when the world watch on to yet another genocide.
An informed and well educated group of youngsters may be key to have Africa as the happening place now and the leading continent worldwide in 50 to 100 years. After all this continent has the resources, the people and when peace is the norm the golden opportunity to shine.
The XO laptop will be introduced in 17 countries in Africa. Let more of the African leaders give their future (the kids) an edge to compete with the world. The 2.2 million in Rwanda may have been given a powerful boost.
Namaskar,
Ashis
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
UgandAshis 22 Final examination
UgandAshis 22 Final examination
June 16, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
The clinical officer doing his mock exam was clearly nervous. As I tried to ease his mind with easy questions he blanked. Given our patient we were reviewing was a very complex case. A young man, 28 years with skin lesions (Kaposi sarcoma), generalized body edema, difficulty breathing, extremely anemic and very weak.
Common causes for generalized edema are heart failure (anemia), kidney failure (nephrotic syndrome) and malnutrition (malabsorption). What you look at to determine anemia is palmar and conjunctival pallor, to access the heart I was asking our examination candidate to name some of the findings of our patients fingernails: they were spoon shaped (which you see in iron deficiency anemia, or koilonychias), had fungal infection (discoloration, thickening) and there were signs of cyanosis (blue discoloration of the finger nails)
Not only was the candidate getting quiet, our patient started gasping for breath. He had received 2 blood transfusions over the last 24 hours but was still not doing well at all. As I listened to his chest, felt his jugular artery I noticed he was having no heart beats. I started cardio pulmonary resuscitation as the entire room (about 20 patients) became quiet. Tried adrenaline and while I saw the young man’s father coming into the room with his hands raised to heaven I knew I had to stop.
Wailing broke out straight away as all family members rushed to the deceased. These are moments for which there are no words – just a feeling of deep sorrow. Questions what we could have done better for this individual patient. When examinations of 150 students take place by 8 teachers in 8 subjects it is hard to balance patient care and proper training.
Having contracted HIV and not being on treatment had lead our patient to decline rapidly. When he got admitted we did care for his eminent medical issues. Yet as many fellow people living with HIV/AIDS the presentation to a hospital is often when the patient is either in coma, severely malnourished or suffering from severe opportunistic infections.
As our deceased body was taken to the morgue by the family with 5 minutes the bed had filled up. Examinations continued. There is no doubt there are great needs for patients in Uganda. Besides infra structure medicine and equipment one of the most important is human resources. Trained, qualified and motivated health staff. Our young examination candidate just passed his exam.
Namaskar,
Ashis
June 16, 2009
Kampala, Uganda
The clinical officer doing his mock exam was clearly nervous. As I tried to ease his mind with easy questions he blanked. Given our patient we were reviewing was a very complex case. A young man, 28 years with skin lesions (Kaposi sarcoma), generalized body edema, difficulty breathing, extremely anemic and very weak.
Common causes for generalized edema are heart failure (anemia), kidney failure (nephrotic syndrome) and malnutrition (malabsorption). What you look at to determine anemia is palmar and conjunctival pallor, to access the heart I was asking our examination candidate to name some of the findings of our patients fingernails: they were spoon shaped (which you see in iron deficiency anemia, or koilonychias), had fungal infection (discoloration, thickening) and there were signs of cyanosis (blue discoloration of the finger nails)
Not only was the candidate getting quiet, our patient started gasping for breath. He had received 2 blood transfusions over the last 24 hours but was still not doing well at all. As I listened to his chest, felt his jugular artery I noticed he was having no heart beats. I started cardio pulmonary resuscitation as the entire room (about 20 patients) became quiet. Tried adrenaline and while I saw the young man’s father coming into the room with his hands raised to heaven I knew I had to stop.
Wailing broke out straight away as all family members rushed to the deceased. These are moments for which there are no words – just a feeling of deep sorrow. Questions what we could have done better for this individual patient. When examinations of 150 students take place by 8 teachers in 8 subjects it is hard to balance patient care and proper training.
Having contracted HIV and not being on treatment had lead our patient to decline rapidly. When he got admitted we did care for his eminent medical issues. Yet as many fellow people living with HIV/AIDS the presentation to a hospital is often when the patient is either in coma, severely malnourished or suffering from severe opportunistic infections.
As our deceased body was taken to the morgue by the family with 5 minutes the bed had filled up. Examinations continued. There is no doubt there are great needs for patients in Uganda. Besides infra structure medicine and equipment one of the most important is human resources. Trained, qualified and motivated health staff. Our young examination candidate just passed his exam.
Namaskar,
Ashis
Saturday, 13 June 2009
UgandAshis 21. Follow your heart
June 10, 2009
Fort Portal, Uganda
Follow your heart
Dave Matthews sings that it is all out of his hands for now. He makes majestic music and here as I hear I disagree. Everything is in your hands. Follow your heart.
Today I examined 28 clinical officers for their clinical medical exams. Fifteen minutes of grilling of these future health workers in Uganda. Their final practice for the exams which is in a month and after these exams most already have a post somewhere in Uganda. Reviewing their skills has been a blessing.
After candidate 26 I temporary lost the plot and started to feel dehydrated. I hinted at the candidate that I may be more of a patient then the one he was presenting and that I required urgent rehydration. What would his regime be for me? As he looked at me puzzled I informed him that without an urgent pop my brain would disintegrate and I would collapse into a serious shock. One of his colleagues picked up the hint, pocketed a quick 700 shilling and left to get me a Mirinda.
But before I let the innocent clinical officer leave I requested for a blue Mirinda (which does not exist). Giddy and silly yet the patients and the clinical officers understood I was BS them. Three minutes later (and several serious question further) I got my soda pop.
Follow your heart; I came to Uganda after having been here for two months previous in my life. I had some friends yet knew non of them for more than two months. Something is telling me that I made the right choice. My working week is filling up rapidly and soon will be overfilled. I do what I like to do; teach clinical officers, I shall be teaching public health at a university, work in a medical ward (soon a pediatric ward as I review my current diagnostic and therapeutic skills), join a medical clinic, start PGHF (about to launch, prepare for a month tour of the USA, network and create opportunities for friends to come here and work.
Some say you dominated by circumstances or others in the choices in your life. I disagree as long as you follow your heart you create your destiny. Easy? No, yet not living in your true vision and mission in your life is so much harder.
So as some of my friends have taken their two young kids for a 9 months sailing trip of the BVI’s, Cuba and tens of islands more and others have emigrated to Canada. Was it easy for them? Perhaps not yet as I read their travel blogs or when I visit him in Calgary they have dared to live and have all the more fun for it. Walking the talk!
As the clinical officers march off to all parts of the country in a month’s time I wish them the courage to follow their hearts.
Namaskar,
Ashis
June 10, 2009
Fort Portal, Uganda
Follow your heart
Dave Matthews sings that it is all out of his hands for now. He makes majestic music and here as I hear I disagree. Everything is in your hands. Follow your heart.
Today I examined 28 clinical officers for their clinical medical exams. Fifteen minutes of grilling of these future health workers in Uganda. Their final practice for the exams which is in a month and after these exams most already have a post somewhere in Uganda. Reviewing their skills has been a blessing.
After candidate 26 I temporary lost the plot and started to feel dehydrated. I hinted at the candidate that I may be more of a patient then the one he was presenting and that I required urgent rehydration. What would his regime be for me? As he looked at me puzzled I informed him that without an urgent pop my brain would disintegrate and I would collapse into a serious shock. One of his colleagues picked up the hint, pocketed a quick 700 shilling and left to get me a Mirinda.
But before I let the innocent clinical officer leave I requested for a blue Mirinda (which does not exist). Giddy and silly yet the patients and the clinical officers understood I was BS them. Three minutes later (and several serious question further) I got my soda pop.
Follow your heart; I came to Uganda after having been here for two months previous in my life. I had some friends yet knew non of them for more than two months. Something is telling me that I made the right choice. My working week is filling up rapidly and soon will be overfilled. I do what I like to do; teach clinical officers, I shall be teaching public health at a university, work in a medical ward (soon a pediatric ward as I review my current diagnostic and therapeutic skills), join a medical clinic, start PGHF (about to launch, prepare for a month tour of the USA, network and create opportunities for friends to come here and work.
Some say you dominated by circumstances or others in the choices in your life. I disagree as long as you follow your heart you create your destiny. Easy? No, yet not living in your true vision and mission in your life is so much harder.
So as some of my friends have taken their two young kids for a 9 months sailing trip of the BVI’s, Cuba and tens of islands more and others have emigrated to Canada. Was it easy for them? Perhaps not yet as I read their travel blogs or when I visit him in Calgary they have dared to live and have all the more fun for it. Walking the talk!
As the clinical officers march off to all parts of the country in a month’s time I wish them the courage to follow their hearts.
Namaskar,
Ashis
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