Today we went to Kicumbi, a village about 15 minutes outside
of Kabale, to work at a free health camp sponsored by KIHEFO. These health
camps don’t happen often, so it was exciting to get to be a part of one. We got
there at 10AM and worked until 5PM. We set up a general clinic, dental clinic,
eye clinic, antenatal and family planning clinic, laboratory, HIV counseling,
and a pharmacy. Patients were triaged and sent to the appropriate area to wait
to be seen. I worked with one of the KIHEFO midwives for most of the day, observing her interactions
with antenatal patients. In the afternoon I also got to see some of the cases
that had been referred to Dr. Anguyo, which means they were the more difficult
cases (Dr. Anguyo was the only full-time doctor there, the rest were medical
officers, midwives, nurse practitioners, and students). By the end of the day,
the camp saw almost 250 patients with a large variety of complaints, which is
common for these types of camps. Many people we saw today would never be able
to afford to come to the clinic, but because of KIHEFO they were able to be
seen in their own village. All in all, it was an amazing experience. Seeing
patients and learning about their conditions, as well as seeing the differences
between theoretical approaches to counseling and treatment that I have learned
at school and on the ground techniques utilized in underdeveloped areas is an
experience that I know will be useful to me in the future, both in my coursework
and in my career. Below are some pictures.
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Inside the church where we held the health camp |
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Family planning supplies |
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KIHEFO ambulance |
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This hut was our pharmacy |
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