This in not an official U.S. Department of State (DOS) blog and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the DOS.
Linda is taking the Blood Pressure of a very happy patient!
Our second day in Masindi started quite early because we were going to run a Blood Pressure Screening event at a local church, All Saints Church of the Masindi-Kitara Diocese of the Church of Uganda. Worship lasts a lot longer in Uganda than in the USA. The first service, which was led in the local dialect, Runyoro, started at 6am, but luckily we didn’t have to be there until 7:45. Then it turned out the service didn’t let out until nearly 8:30am. Anyway, we arrived and got some tables set up and after the service was done, the crowds began lining up.
The people line up to have their Blood Pressure taken but with 4 of us participating the line moved quickly
This was one of the churches that participated in the BP screening last fall when I was here with the Wilkes University pharmacy students so some parishioners remembered me. But many others were just getting screened for the 1st time. Today we were only able to serve 2 services because we had to catch a bus back to Masindi but in less than 3 hours, the four of us screened 119 people. Of these, 69% had normal BP readings but 24% had readings that could be classified as Stage 1 hypertension (>140/>90) and 7% had Stage 2 (>160/>100). We had to refer one patient to the clinic within the next day or two to be re-checked and if still elevated, her medications would need to be adjusted. As always, the Ugandans were very grateful for our visit and it really felt good to use our skills as pharmacists to help others. Below are some of the pictures from the event.
KarenBeth is thoroughly enjoying talking with all of the people as they come forward to get their BP taken
Edel intensely listens for the heart sounds so she can record the BP correctly
Sam taking a gentleman’s Blood Pressure
KarenBeth taking a patient’s Blood Pressure
This is an overview of our set-up on the porch of the church
The BP Screening Crew: Edel, Sam, KarenBeth, Linda
Sam and Linda play around with the kids who hung out all morning and avidly watched us- who know, maybe they are future pharmacists
Edel taking a Blood Pressure
Out of the Pharmacy Classroom and Into Africa 
It looks like the BP screening was a great success! And I can see my old cuff is being put to good use haha! This definitely brings back great memories and it feels like we were just there yesterday. I wish we could all be there.
P.S. Remember to always bring your stethoscope and cuff with you in Uganda because you never know when you’re going to need it!
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Thanks for the comment, Nikko- wish you were here, too!
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This is a great work you are doing. Awesome! Simply awesome!
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Hi thanks for the comment! We plan on continuing to screen people whenever we can be back in Masindi. We even take the children’s BP, not because we think they need it but to expose them to this so they aren’t afraid in the future and realize that getting your BP taken can be a regular part of keeping healthy.
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That’s a great idea! Sometimes people just do it when they think they are sick but forget that it should be done regularly to prevent some health problems. Prevention is always better than cure. You guys are awesome!
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