Today, Feb. 26, was day one of the St. Monica Mobile Medical Clinic in Atiak. I am humbled and honored to be a part of positive change in the lives of the very neglected around Atiak that I know will continue long after I am back in Oklahoma. This endeavor has provided ample opportunities for my integration and understanding of Ugandan society.
It began a month ago with my day of initiation of purchasing the medicine to open the clinic. We spent 8 long hours fighting through the mass of people in Kampala, a city with literally 3,000 times the population density of Oklahoma City, roaming from pharmacy to pharmacy until we gathered all of the medicine we needed.
Next was a waiting period. We had to postpone the kick-off as the political tension rose around the 2011 National Elections. The instability and threat of violence and riots is a reality that must be respected here. Fortunately, there was minimal demonstration following the elections, and we were able to commence this weekend (finally!).
So today our medical team, Brian and Mike who are medical providers, Sister Immaculate and Alex Robert, medical support, and I, loaded up at 7:00 am to begin our 2 hour journey along the rough dirt road, a drive which never fails to give my internal organs a thorough beating, to the most remote area of Africa I have ventured to.
Atiak is a village in Amuru District, the northernmost district. It is about 15 miles from Sudan. This area was very vulnerable to the last wave of terrorism by the LRA in 2005 when Sudan finally granted the Ugandan government access to its borders to seize the rebels. Thus the far North (aka Amuru District) was the battle ground and became the source of many unwilling soldiers for both sides. Driving into Atiak, I am always overcome with an eerie feeling because the recent devastation is starkly apparent.
This entire district has only one fully functional hospital (based on public hospital standards). Atiak has a health center, but it was recently "restructured" because the inspectors came by and found goats roaming the halls and rooms being rented out and occupied as housing. Needless to say, this population is extremely neglected of quality medical attention.
The settings of our clinic are very humble with just two tables with chairs, one exam bed with a privacy screen, stethoscopes, a thermometer, a scale, and a dispensing table, which fortunately is well stocked with the medicine we purchased in Kampala. At first I was discouraged because it was getting on to 10:00 am and no patients had arrived, but Mike assured me that that was normal in village settings. Villagers always tend to their daily tasks and work before they go to the doctor. Just as he called, our patients started arriving at 11:00 am. By 2:00 pm we had worked through our 31 patients of our first day. We expect the numbers to grow exponentially as the patients of today refer two or three friends and their children to us for next Saturday. For the initial day we had only publicized by word of mouth and were pleasantly surprised by the flow of patients.
I am blessed with the mentorship of two doctors, Brian and Mike, who are both dedicated to the field of medicine because of the service they can provide to the neglected population of Uganda. Even on our long, hot days like today in Atiak, their attitude is one of eagerness and gratefulness to be using the passion and skills they have been blessed with to serve the village locals. They both operate in a humble manner with respect for their patients and with keen observance to provide treatment that is feasible to their patients. These are skills that cannot be learned in the classroom and the ones that truly define a quality physician. I'm very grateful for their patience and willingness to teach me.
Overall, day one of St. Monica's Mobile Medical Clinic in Atiak was a great success!
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