Travel Report from Uganda January / February 2019

January is relaxed this year, no mass accidents and no highly dramatic events, as in some previous years. We have planned visits to the health stations, in the regions Fort Portal, Kahunge, Kamwenge and have the opportunity to experience the daily work there. Wherever possible we support them with medication and small devices, which we store in larger quantities on the vehicle as aid supplies. We give away several hundred medications, oxygen sensors, dust bands, blood pressure monitors, thermos scanners, blood sugar testers and diagnostic lights.  But this is also just a drop in the ocean. So much more is needed, but the administration of Uganda is not making it easy to import aid supplies.

The expansion of the station continues

Step by step, we get to know our ways of arranging ourselves with the local conditions and bureaucratic obstacles. We have started to set up our own small laboratory in our station in Kampala in order to be able to carry out some infection research and small laboratory analyses ourselves.

We are pleased that the cooperation with the health station in Kamwenge is so positive and constructive, it is great fun to be able to experience the progress here! Within the scope of our possibilities we will offer equipment, internships and further education for interested people. This year we want to put an infection protection ambulance into service, in which a fast analysis of the most important tropical fevers is possible locally. It is intended for the Entebbe Airport site.

Currently we ask for donations to realize this project!

To avoid misunderstandings: This vehicle is intended for the transport of emergency patients from Entebbe airport to the two clinics in the urban area of Entebbe or to Kampala, it does not have the described terrain characteristics for land rescue in Uganda! The special tyres and ground clearance increase of five cm is completely sufficient for this area of application.

Cooperation between aid organisations still accompanied by difficulties

To our astonishment, the offers for cooperation with other German aid associations have not yet met our expectations. It remains to be hoped that there will be no competition between the aid organisations, as we know it from many regions of Germany. Whatever will be necessary to promote positive cooperation, we will make our contribution.