Days Like this Make Me Particularly Proud of Our Mission

I have experienced a few particularly poignant moments which powerfully embody the critical nursing shortage in countries like Uganda and why TGF is here to do what we do. For example, the moment when I turned the corner in the maternity ward, or, "the factory" at Mulago hospital where I saw over a dozen women in active labor lying on the floor with no medical assistance. 60-80 births a day happen here with only a few nurses on hand. Watching these women, powerless, much like the overworked nurses, continues to be haunting memory. Today, left another indelible mark.

Daily at Butibika there are over 750 patients with each day bringing more. No one is turned away. All patients suffer from some form of mental illness with 15% being treated for medical conditions as well. Of the approximate 300 nurses needed to cover all shifts, there are only 90. At night they have to close the children's ward and bring them to sleep in one of the adult wards. One women's ward has an average of 70 patients but only 2-3 nurses a shift. These are just a couple of examples of the struggles this hospital faces every day. But the acute ward is where we were struck the hardest.

This ward holds the hospital's most ill. Many stay here until they are stabilized and until they are transferred to other wards. For obvious reasons, we didn't take pictures but I'll try to recreate the image that is searing in my mind.

We first walked through a heavily locked gate surrounding the ward and then up the walkway to what must have been a reception area. To the right was a large ward with dozens of empty beds. There were only a couple of patients in the room; one sitting in the far corner alone on the floor, and the other, heavily sedated. To the left, was one nurse standing next to a large tray of pharmaceuticals. Directly past her was a locked gate door leading to another room where there were a multitude of patients; clearly the ones meant for the vacant ward to the right. All were what clearly to me seemed to be severely mentally ill. Where there was an inch to spare, the patients clung to the gate bars, while the rest gathered closely behind. It was the time of day to dispense medications. To complete this task this sole nurse was left to her own resourceful devises. She had rounded up all the acute patients into one room and locked them in behind the gate door. Then she would let out each one, one by one, give them their medications, and then direct them to the other room. Amazingly, she seemed undaunted, even speaking warmly to one patient who was still standing by her side. As the hospital director pointed out to us, "She must be creative."

Now I don't want to mis-characterize Butibika. Her director and all the nurses and other staff are very dedicated to providing the best care. Each ward and the entire facility and grounds were clean, in order and the overall atmosphere, surprisingly calm. I can't tell you how or why. Somehow this place manages to pull off a miracle each day, and the nurses are key in this.

Days like this make me particularly proud of our mission...and nurses always, of course.