Uganda Expedition

WHO WE ARE

We are a group of six students from the Medical Faculty in Ljubljana, who are planning on going on a three-month medical and humanitarian expedition to Uganda in August 2013. At the time of departure, the expedition will consist of three final year medical students, two doctors and one dentist. We will provide health care for the inhabitants of Bufuka village, which lies on the shores of lake Bunyoni in the southwest of Uganda.

We can be found on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/uganda2013) and our own website http://www.uganda2013.si/; you are more than welcome to check the sites out. We will also post during our expedition and try to update everybody of our work.

The expedition has been approved by the Medical Faculty in Ljubljana and the Ministry of Health of Republic of Slovenia. It is organised under the umbrella of Section for tropical medicine of the Medical faculty in Ljubljana. The section has been operating since 1990 and enables expeditions to third world countries with poor health care. The section also provides additional training in tropical medicine, thus ensuring professional integrity of expeditions. Members of the expedition will receive additional training particularly in the fields of infectious diseases, paediatrics, ophtalmology, surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology.

 

EXPEDITION

Expedition goals

The goal of our expedition is to provide basic health care for local people and thus continuing the work of previous expeditions and maintaining the clinic in the village of Bufuka. Systematic health screenings for school children will be organised, while the local people will be educated on the prevention of spreading infectious diseases, proper hygiene and nutrition.

 

Bufuka

Bufuka is a small village on the shores of lake Bunyonyi. It is spread around three islands and has 350 inhabitants. A larger city Kabale is 7 km away. There is a quality primary school in the village, as well as a kindergarten. There is no permanent medical assistence in Bufuka, so the village people rely on groups of young doctor volunteers.

The expedition will be staying in a small house, which will double as a health clinic. Working days wil begin at sunrise and end with sunset; from Monday to Saturday. We expect that our care will reach beyond the boundaries of Bufuka, with lots of patients coming from nearby villages, most of them children. In addition to working in a stationary location, we also plan to organise visits to other nearby villages, where we aim to provide health care for non-ambulatory patients. In cases where patients will require help beyond our capabilities, we will provide transport to the nearest hospital and cover the costs of treatment.

Because of the absence of proper plumbing, sewage and electricity, the villagers are at great risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, as well as malaria, various injuries, malnutrition and HIV infections. Our work in Bufuka will focus primarily on out-patient treatment, minor medical interventions and preventive measures. As Bufuka has been devastated by AIDS, education in preventive measures will be one of the most important parts of our work.

 

Uganda

Primary health care in Uganda is far from self-evident.  Less than half of the population have access to adequate health care, due to the lack of medical personnel and the fact that patients have to pay for medicines and surgeries themselves. This is for most people (too) big expense and for many people unattainable luxury. As a result, most people go to the village's mage healers, which often leads to complications and worsening of the disease.

Uganda is facing a number of diseases that the developed world does not know anymore, or are typical of the tropics. Access to doctors and medicines has less than half of the population. Clinical staff in rural areas often have no real knowledge of treatment or lack of appropriate medicines. 

The main cause of death in Uganda is AIDS, followed by tuberculosis and malaria. Important diseases are also diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, typhoid fever and infections with parasites. In Uganda, 940,000 people are HIV positive (5.4% of the population), which is each year translated into 70,000 deaths. It is estimated that there are 1.2 million orphans in Uganda who have lost parents due to AIDS.

Prevalence of malaria in Uganda is the largest in the world, it affects 487 per 1,000 inhabitants yearly. Malaria in Africa is the main cause of death for children younger than 5 years. In Uganda each year between 70,000 and 100,000 children die because of malaria infection. Only 22% of children have the chance to sleep under the protective mosquito net.

In the first year after the birth 65 children die per 1,000 live births. Around 20% of children under 5 years suffer from malnutrition.

 

Financial plan

The financial plan consists of approximate expenses for all the things necessary for the expedition and the whole budget will be publicly announced when we come back from Uganda. We already managed to raise some money, but since the times are tough, every help is much needed and appreciated. Those, who can donate a bit more, will receive a postcard of people you helped, straight from Uganda, so be sure to leave your address!

Medications 3.000 EUR
Medical instruments, sanitary material 3.000 EUR
Transport of medications and material to Uganda 1.500 EUR
Costs of patient transport and hospital care 1.500 EUR
Organisational costs 500 EUR
Translators' fees 500 EUR
Visa 6 x 30 EUR
Health insurance 6 x 100 EUR
Plane tickets 6 x 1.000 EUR
Living costs 2.000 EUR
Vaccinations 6 x 125 EUR
Antimalarial prophylaxis 6 x 150 EUR
TOTAL EXPEDITION COSTS 20.430 EUR