My vision has been to provide healthcare in partnership with local churches so that together we can meet physical and spiritual needs in this remote corner of Uganda. Jesus said,"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" I have always thought the same thing about medicine. What have I done for my patient if I have cured his physical disease, yet have done nothing to care for his spirit? As a busy doctor with limited time and abilities, I feel that the most effective way I can do this is by partnering with local churches and pastors, who have the special gift and calling of caring for the spirit.
When I launched my medical ministry, I started by asking to meet with church leaders in our area so that I could explain my desire of providing healthcare in partnership with them. Here's a pic of our first meeting.
From there, we began making plans on how we could best work together to serve our community. So far, I have travelled to 8 villages to provide medical care, often visiting over multiple days so that I can see the majority of the patients who present. I have been thankful for our Toyota SuperCustom van, a diesel, 4-wheel drive, beast of a car that has gotten me everywhere (well, almost!) that I have needed to go. I pack up medications, medical supplies, a portable ultrasound machine, and our healthcare team and we set off down potholed, dirt and mud roads with low hanging trees that often scrape on the roof rack of the van to reach remote villages. After spending 3 years working primarily in an office and hospital, it has been really exciting to set off in this mobile medical vehicle taking in the landscape of Uganda, bumping down small roads and footpaths, often with amazing views of the mountains to bring healthcare to people who need it the most. Here are some snapshots from one of my recent adventures...
Thomas and Bihwa, two close friends who have been working as translator and church facilitator, respectively. Thomas is also my language helper and is fluent in 5 languages. I'm struggling to learn just one of those! Keep praying for me!
To date, this was the only village we could not reach by car. We had a big rain the night before and the road was very slick with mud. The van kept sliding and we had a hard time staying on the road. We decided it was safer to park and continue on foot. We briefly stopped here to ask for directions to make sure we were still heading the right way.
It was probably for the best that we left the car because the road soon turned into a foot path that went through a cocoa shamba.
After an hour of walking, we finally reached this church with a room full of patients waiting for us.
In each village we visit, we set up clinic in a church, roadside building, or home. Here are a few snapshots of "clinic" spaces we have used.
We usually draw a crowd of onlookers who stand at the doors and windows to see what is going on inside.
I have been so thankful for the portable ultrasound machine I brought from the U.S. (in the bag I am carrying), thanks to generous donations from our supporters and a grant from
SonoSite. I cannot explain how helpful this has been while caring for patients in a place with limited diagnostic equipment. I have done many prenatal ultrasounds, abdominal ultrasounds, and echocardiograms for patients who would otherwise not have access to these services. Thank you to everyone who helped us to purchase this machine!!
One of our more interesting clinic days was in Bubukwanga, about a 25 minute drive from our home. Pictured above on the right is Holly, our team nurse. We worked at a small health center adjacent to a camp for internally displaced persons (IDP camp). This camp is home to 8,000 - 10,000 people who had to flee their villages during recent tribal conflict. The health center was overwhelmed by the number of patients who needed care and was severely depleted of medications. They also lost several staff members who fled out of fear of retribution from people in the camp because they were from conflicting tribes. Thomas' (above middle) mother was living in the camp at the time. More on that story in a later blog.
I hope to post a blog soon about some of our interesting cases. Stay tuned!
