Pain and Palliative Care Training for the Pharmacy Interns at Mulago National Referral Hospital

Gonsha, one of the Ugandan Pharmacists working with me for 8 weeks at my practice site, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, as part of an Advanced Pharmaceutical Care Training Program, is an educator herself when in Uganda, in addition to running 2 community pharmacies.

Gonsha is teaching the Pharmacy Interns in one of the Lecture Halls at the Medical School on the campus of Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda

She helps to coordinate training activities and precepts weekly Pharmacy professional development sessions at Mulago National Referral Hospital for all of the pharmacy interns doing their training in and near Kampala.  I was pleased to find out that even though she is halfway across the world, she has been in close contact with the President of the Pharmacy Interns to be sure training activities are continuing to occur while she is in the USA.  A couple of weeks ago when she was conversing with David via Whatsapp (communication app for mobile phones) I said to say “hello” to him, since my Wilkes pharmacy students and I had worked with him in April.  Then I proceeded to get on Whatsapp too and have a conversation about what they are up to. I was so excited to hear that the interns were going through a Pain Management and Palliative Care training program.

Another view of the pharmacy interns being trained about Pain and Palliative Care at Mulago Hospital

This program was developed by Dr. Mhoira Leng, a Scottish Physician, who has been working in Uganda for many years now to teach healthcare providers about and provide care herself for patients suffering from chronic pain due to many conditions but especially end-stage AIDS and cancer as well as caring for the whole patient to provide other palliative care services.  I’ll refer you to my prior blog from March 2014 where I met her. https://pharmacyclassintoafrica.com/2014/03/06/hospice-and-palliative-care-in-uganda/

Hilliary and Ivan, two of the Pharmacy Interns I’ve worked with both at Makerere University School of Pharmacy, and now as Interns at Mulago Hospital

These photos were shared with me by David and he has allowed me to post them here.  He said the training was great and I told him I would be eager to see him and his colleagues using these skills when I get back. I said this somewhat in gest since I know they will apply these skills. I have been very impressed with all of the pharmacy students and interns eagerness not only to be taught but to actually put what they are learning to practice.  In return he said that they have already started using the skills and then he made the nicest comment.  He said “We are now your students.”  Wow, that just made me smile as I do think about all whom I’ve worked with in Uganda as “my students”. I feel so at home in Uganda and I not only have my Wilkes students whom I love to teach and work with but I also have my Ugandan students who I also love to teach and work with.