Wednesday, April 15, 2015:

Amanda, Lizzie, Kristen and Hanna outside the entrance to Masindi-Kitara Medical Center, Masindi, Uganda

We have now been in Masindi 5 days, although we already feel so comfortable with the routine and new surroundings in some ways it feels like we’ve been here for weeks.  Right away on Monday we showed up at the Masindi-Kitara Medical Center (MKMC) at 8am and immediately headed to Ward Rounds with Dr. Godson and two American Medical Students who are also here on a clinical rotation.  It felt so comfortable for me to join the team as I have worked with Dr. Godson and many of the staff in the past.  After Ward Rounds the students have a chance to work with one of the Clinical Officers who is seeing the outpatients or they can work in the Pharmacy or learn about the lab tests that can be done, including getting a chance to view a blood smear filled with Malaria parasites. We are all also helping to do some data entry of medical records into a computer database for the Masindi-Kitara Diocese Health Education Missionary.

In the Wards at MKMC: Robert (med student), Dr. Godson, Kristen, Hanna, Terrell (med student), Lizzie, and Amanda

I think the students would agree that the moment they stepped foot on the property and in the facilities of MKMC they knew something was different.  Initially you are confronted with a well-planned medical clinic and hospital design that is very clean and orderly.  The staff all get along really well and work together like an oiled machine to connect patients to the services they need.  MKMC is a private NGO healthcenter categorized as a Health Center 4 by the District (hospital) which provides high quality care to patients for a reasonable fee.  Although Government healthcare is free to all Ugandan’s, sometimes the services and medications are not available but most private facilities are quite expensive for the average Ugandan.  MKMC was developed to provide private quality care but for a reasonable fee so that it can be sustainable.

The Pharmacy students and residents have already seen quite a variety of patients and diseases they never would have encountered in the USA, Malaria and Typhoid, and a couple of them got to observe a major surgery today. I’ll let them tell you about that another day.

Kristen presents information about Pharmacy Inventory Management

Today we all gave a presentation on Safe Medication Use to the full staff and medical team at MKMC. It was very well received and sparked a lot of great conversations.

Lizzie presented information on Pediatic Dosing and safe medication writing practices

Hanna presented information on changing IV medications to Oral medications

Amanda presented information about Insulin Use