eMagazine August 2022

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OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION Global Health eMagazine August 2022 Highlights Clinical Case of the Month Reflections Health Disparities Within Our Borders Nursing Division Art to Remind Us of Who We Can Be Things changed when we started traveling to Naggalama. Somehow, those overwhelming feelings started evaporating as I quietly absorbed my surroundings through the car window. When we made it to St. Francis Hospital, the whole hospital team rolled out the welcome wagon for us. On the first night, the head of the hospital Sister Jane Francis hosted a dinner with a group of the doctors. Our accommodations are immaculate. I feel spoiled here. The comfort and kindness of the people have made this adjustment process so much easier, allowing us to fully jump into our hospital days without issue. The clinics have been an incredible experience. In four days, I have seen a mother give birth, a woman with a herniated cervix, a c-section, an 89-year-old patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia, children with sickle cell disease, many patients with malaria, and patients with HIV, just to name a few things. I am seeing and therefore learning an incredible amount that is helping me reinforce material I learned during my first year at school, which has been a godsend in light of my limited clinical experience. The medical team and my classmates provide strong support in overwhelming moments. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people around me. Two years ago, I was sitting in my apartment in Boston wondering if I would ever get into medical school. There is no way I could have imagined that in two years’ time I would be in a global health rotation watching a c-section in Uganda. Life seems to move in mysterious ways, and I am grateful for this opportunity. Our Beautiful Planet Among the Letters Congratulations Global Health Team Calendar Resources (Steve Scholand) 8
OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION Global Health eMagazine August 2022 Highlights Clinical Case of the Month Reflections Health Disparities Within Our Borders Nursing Division Art to Remind Us of Who We Can Be Our Beautiful Planet Among the Letters Congratulations Global Health Team Calendar Resources Katanga Community Written by Hossein Akbarialiabad MD, MSc Faculty, Nuvance Health Global Health Academy Katanga communites are located in the middle of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, between Makerere University and Mulago National Referral Hospital. The community has a population of around 5,000, of which two-thirds do not have a national identity card. A volunteer-run organization, Katanga 4 Kids educates and cares for around 50 children ranging from three to seventeen years old who live on the street in the community. One classroom serves the role of school, stage, playground, and church. They stay in two dormitories, with three to a bed and many on the floor. The Katanga communities are quite unsafe even during the daytime, even as a local. In fact, a few days prior to my arrival, a teenage girl was sexually assaulted there. As a traveler, safety is a fundamental issue. There are also health concerns in this area. Residents only have access to ten toilets in total, for which they must pay, meaning Unhygienic defecation and urination practices are common, due to a severe scarcity of toilets—ten in total for 5,000 people—for which residents must pay to use. Furthermore, tap water throughout Uganda must be boiled before use, but almost 90% of residents in the Katanga communites cannot afford to purchase fuel for boiling and sanitizing water, making cholera a significant concern. With an average of seven family members, the average household income in Katanga is less than 10 USD per month, forcing everyone regardless of age to work to feed the family. “Children have the right to be children all over the world.” This clear notion in highincome countries is a fantasy here, as even survival is not guaranteed, let alone mental health, physical safety, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. 9 Reflections continued on next page >> 9
Page 1 and 2: August 2022 Volume 44 NUVANCE HEALT
Page 3 and 4: OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION Global Heal
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eMagazine August 2022

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