Mwenya Uganda has had a very big year. July saw our official launch in which the UK and the Ugandan team paraded with a full marching band, six school groups, a full team of volunteers and some home made banners around Mpigi town to let everyone in the town know that Mwenya Uganda is here to stay.
We will be blogging about the launch very soon.
For today, we want to tell you all a little story about why we exist.
Mwenya Uganda had its fourth beach social where the whole team of volunteers get together and enjoy themselves on the shores of Lake Victoria.
On the way back from one of Mwenya's great social days at the Lake Victoria beach, one of Mwenya Uganda's motorbike had an accident. It was 1am on a Sunday night. There were 3 people on the motorbike; one seriously injured.
The UK team were in the minibus heading back to Mpigi and we received a phonecall to say that Rashid had had an accident on his motorbike and Mstapher and Rashid' brother were on the bike too. The minibus did a U-y, we arrived at the scene of the accident to find that Rashid and the other passengers had already been taken to a nearby clinic.
I felt relief, that they were not lying by the side of the road. However, on arrival at the clinic, my relief was very short lived. Rashid was being wheeled out of the clinic and bumped around on a dirt track with huge boulders and stones in a wheel chair, with 2 reported broken legs and a broken arm. Mstapher, one of the other passengers, had a cut on his head and was reporting chest pain. Luckily the third passenger on the bike, Rashid's brother had come off with few injuries.
Fortunately, we had the minibus. As there were no ambulances. The word ambulance was not even mentioned that night.
Rashid managed to climb into the front of the minibus. His whole body jolting up and down on his 2 reported broken legs and we bumped over the potholes in the road.
We arrived at Mulago National Hospital in Kampala, the main public hospital in Uganda. My relief was ready to explode out of me and we pulled up to Accident and Emergency. One more time I had to swallow the relief right back down as I realised that the Accident and Emergency was bearly better than being left on the side of the road.
There were wheelchairs. But there were padlocked together. Nobody made any sign of knowing where the key was.
There was one doctor, who took bribes. Depsite the sign on reception to say that all treatment is free, if you don't have money, you wait. And wait and wait.
Rashid did not see any nurse, he did not receive any triage or first aid. It was down to the Mwenya Uganda team to make him feel as comfortable as possible.
He had to hobble on two presumed broken legs into the hospital and sit and wait.
His leg was bleeding. His arm was bleeding. His arm was hanging down and his leg was not raised.
It was down to me, with an expired first aid qualification to try and stop the blood from pouring through the bodged dressing that the first clinic had put on his arm.
We waited. Rashid was shaking. I tried to distract him so he didn't go into shock.
This is me, a student, with no medical qualifications and a very basic expired first aid qualification.
There were no bandages. It was a Sunday. Bandages are only available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We had to use cotton wool balls and surgical gloves to tie them on. The blood wasn't stopping.
There was nobody to help. Next to Rashid, a woman waited while her blood made its way up her drip.
Jhon, Mwenya's Ugandan director, told us about how during serious bus accidents, people are just thrown on that floor and someone goes round to prod them to see if they are still alive. This happened to Jhon's mother. She was not dead, but she was presumed dead and taken to the morgue.
After about an hour and a half of waiting and a large bribe. Rashid saw a doctor and got x-rays.
Jhon said it was better to be at home that it is to be in this dirty, large, souless hospital where the staff are so underpaid and badly treated they've lost all value for human life.
By 5am, we drove Rashid and the team back home. Rashid needed 8 stitches. He only got given 5.
Mstapher didn't even see a doctor, he could not afford the bribe and decided it wasn't worth the hellish wait in that A & E room.
Luckily, all three passengers on the motorbike are now doing really well and fully mwenya-ing!
Believe it or not, we were so lucky that night.
We had a minibus - we could transport Rashid and Mstapher to hospital.
Without that, they would have just been left on the side of the road.
Rashid knew a policeman who was on duty - they gave us a police escort to the hospital.
We had enough money to pay for Rashid's treatment - otherwise he would have waited, bleeding, until whenever the doctor decided to see him.
I am writing this story to prove why organisations like Mwenya Uganda need to be set up. We have a new project to run first aid courses for all our members so that they know what to do in an accident like that.
The healthcare system in Uganda is beyond what your imagination thinks could still be possible in the 21st century. The UK team had all heard stories about events like this. But it hits home hard when you see it first hand.
This experience was at THE best public hospital in Uganda.
Quote from their website:
"Our operation is directed and controlled by a team of trained, experienced and helpful qualified nurses, doctors and customer service staff, enabling us to deliver services, which meet all Public and Private patient requirements."
This is an awareness raising blog. So that you learn. You sign the petition. You tell someone else.
Here it is, please sign our petition.
We will be blogging about the launch very soon.
For today, we want to tell you all a little story about why we exist.
Mwenya Uganda had its fourth beach social where the whole team of volunteers get together and enjoy themselves on the shores of Lake Victoria.
On the way back from one of Mwenya's great social days at the Lake Victoria beach, one of Mwenya Uganda's motorbike had an accident. It was 1am on a Sunday night. There were 3 people on the motorbike; one seriously injured.
 |
| Rashid, the injured volunteer who was driving the motorbike during the collision with a minibus. |
I felt relief, that they were not lying by the side of the road. However, on arrival at the clinic, my relief was very short lived. Rashid was being wheeled out of the clinic and bumped around on a dirt track with huge boulders and stones in a wheel chair, with 2 reported broken legs and a broken arm. Mstapher, one of the other passengers, had a cut on his head and was reporting chest pain. Luckily the third passenger on the bike, Rashid's brother had come off with few injuries.
Fortunately, we had the minibus. As there were no ambulances. The word ambulance was not even mentioned that night.
Rashid managed to climb into the front of the minibus. His whole body jolting up and down on his 2 reported broken legs and we bumped over the potholes in the road.
We arrived at Mulago National Hospital in Kampala, the main public hospital in Uganda. My relief was ready to explode out of me and we pulled up to Accident and Emergency. One more time I had to swallow the relief right back down as I realised that the Accident and Emergency was bearly better than being left on the side of the road.
There were wheelchairs. But there were padlocked together. Nobody made any sign of knowing where the key was.
There was one doctor, who took bribes. Depsite the sign on reception to say that all treatment is free, if you don't have money, you wait. And wait and wait.
Rashid did not see any nurse, he did not receive any triage or first aid. It was down to the Mwenya Uganda team to make him feel as comfortable as possible.
He had to hobble on two presumed broken legs into the hospital and sit and wait.
His leg was bleeding. His arm was bleeding. His arm was hanging down and his leg was not raised.
It was down to me, with an expired first aid qualification to try and stop the blood from pouring through the bodged dressing that the first clinic had put on his arm.
We waited. Rashid was shaking. I tried to distract him so he didn't go into shock.
This is me, a student, with no medical qualifications and a very basic expired first aid qualification.
There were no bandages. It was a Sunday. Bandages are only available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We had to use cotton wool balls and surgical gloves to tie them on. The blood wasn't stopping.
There was nobody to help. Next to Rashid, a woman waited while her blood made its way up her drip.
Jhon, Mwenya's Ugandan director, told us about how during serious bus accidents, people are just thrown on that floor and someone goes round to prod them to see if they are still alive. This happened to Jhon's mother. She was not dead, but she was presumed dead and taken to the morgue.
After about an hour and a half of waiting and a large bribe. Rashid saw a doctor and got x-rays.
Jhon said it was better to be at home that it is to be in this dirty, large, souless hospital where the staff are so underpaid and badly treated they've lost all value for human life.
By 5am, we drove Rashid and the team back home. Rashid needed 8 stitches. He only got given 5.
Mstapher didn't even see a doctor, he could not afford the bribe and decided it wasn't worth the hellish wait in that A & E room.
Luckily, all three passengers on the motorbike are now doing really well and fully mwenya-ing!
Believe it or not, we were so lucky that night.
We had a minibus - we could transport Rashid and Mstapher to hospital.
Without that, they would have just been left on the side of the road.
Rashid knew a policeman who was on duty - they gave us a police escort to the hospital.
We had enough money to pay for Rashid's treatment - otherwise he would have waited, bleeding, until whenever the doctor decided to see him.
 |
| Rashid, L, talking to the Headmistress of Bussi Island school - the location for our first mobile clinic. |
The healthcare system in Uganda is beyond what your imagination thinks could still be possible in the 21st century. The UK team had all heard stories about events like this. But it hits home hard when you see it first hand.
This experience was at THE best public hospital in Uganda.
Quote from their website:
"Our operation is directed and controlled by a team of trained, experienced and helpful qualified nurses, doctors and customer service staff, enabling us to deliver services, which meet all Public and Private patient requirements."
This is an awareness raising blog. So that you learn. You sign the petition. You tell someone else.
Here it is, please sign our petition.
