It has been an adventure that is for sure: I have been working at the Soft Power Health clinic here in Kyabirwa, teaching malaria education sessions and family planning throughout the villages, HIV testing and counseling at secondary schools, and completing follow-ups to see how effective the mosquito nets have been. It is disheartening to witness how these tiny Anopheles mosquitoes are responsible for Uganda’s number one killer of pregnant women and children under five. Looking at red blood cells infected with the Plasmodium falciparum parasite sure makes this disease seem much more significant and dangerous than initially thought. Microbiology class back in the States never seemed as personal as it does here. Of course, there are frustrating moments as well, specifically, accepting the limited access of healthcare available in Uganda. If back the in States, the patient would have seen a cardiologist years ago, gotten an MRI (which does not exist in all of Uganda), or had surgery for osteomyelitis long before it became chronic. It may be an asthma patient coming into the clinic, and the best we can do is hope we might have received a donation of albuterol some months earlier; if not, we just send him on his way and hope for the best. Aside from the moments of helplessness, the tropical medicine has been fascinating and far more than I could have ever learned in a classroom: malaria, filariasis, Schistomiasis mansoni (bilharzia), and best of all, jiggers! Among the mzungu staff/volunteers at Soft Power Health, we have already had a few cases of malaria and plenty of jiggers. I suppose the excess time spent enjoying the kayaking of the White Nile puts us at a higher risk of jiggers and bilharzia; however, it always seems well worth the risk.
I have found myself working with public health, yet avoiding traditional medicine for as long as possible – whether it is from an overnight evacuation of a friend with a fractured patella out of a 2000’ nearly vertical gorge in the jungles of Costa Rica, sitting in the back of an unmarked van running the Syringe Exchange Program in a fast food parking lot on a rainy day, or going from hut to hut to see if Ugandans have mosquito nets and are using them properly. Maybe traditional medicine and clean lab coats are just not for me; I just have to add a little excitement and get my hands dirty. It is life at its best, and it truly comes down to being surrounded be the right type of people who are willing to go the extra mile to make things happen (no matter how difficult or painful it may be).
All the events that keep piling together the more I work here in Uganda have been enjoyable. It has been a great combination of some of my favorite things: healthcare to the underserved, kids, adventure, kayaking, simple living, spontaneity, and being surrounded by a great family of Ugandans, co-workers, kayakers, and travelers. I am very content and excited to continue this drive and passion.
