Clinical developments and visitors

A&E

Our new Accident and Emergency area is proving valuable as it gives us much better space and facilities for stabilizing very sick patients arriving day and night in Kisiizi.   It did require a bit of structural change to make doorways wide enough for trolleys to use.

 For example Ian was called to an unconscious 4 year old who had been hit by a boda-boda (motor-bike) and knocked down.  She needed a collar to stabilize her neck and medication to reduce brain swelling.  She had a fit needing anti-convulsants.  Her mother arrived and promptly collapsed on the floor due to her distress as she thought her daughter would never recover.   

However, thankfully, the child was transferred safely to children’s ward on a trolley, using the new paths that connect the A&E/Out-Patient building to the wards.  The next day she was sitting up and eating and has now been discharged well much to the delight of staff and family.

 

Laboratory

The laboratory is also upgrading.  We have been able to create a new phlebotomy room so patients no longer need to come into the lab itself for blood tests.  We have put in new hatches for samples and new benches and we are re-configuring the layout of test equipment to make space for the new analysers that have been installed.  Our new In-Charge, Francis Orishaba, is settling in very well and demonstrating much initiative and enthusiasm so our lab services are definitely going up a gear (or two!)

new CD4 machine to monitor HIV patients

Clinical Staff training session with visiting colleagues

With this support plus input from Dr. Charlie Martin-Bates, a recently retired GP from Reading, we have been updating our Diabetic Clinic arrangements and hope to run a much more comprehensive service.  This is appropriate as the incidence of diabetes continues to rise and has hitherto been poorly provided for so many patients have developed complications that might have been avoided.

Dr. Ian Kemp also came and has worked with our surgeons Dr. Gabriel and Dr. Robert to develop our upper-gastro-intestinal endoscopy service.  This is also very opportune as we have a high incidence of stomach cancer in our community and diagnosing it earlier may avoid much suffering.

We also enjoyed a fortnight’s visit from Jonathan Jones an Orthopaedic Surgeon from Stamford who kindly brought out some very useful equipment and hopes to support the development of orthopaedic services here.  This tied in very well with a further team from Dublin.  As well as physiotherapists we were pleased to have an Occupational Therapist and, for the first time in Kisiizi, three dietitians who looked at our malnutrition programme for children and the work on improving diabetic control.

Dublin team running an Audit session

Currently we have a 6 day visit from Dr. Jim Hansen, with his wife Suzanne from USA.  They visit Kiwoko Hospital once or twice a year and kindly agreed to come down to Kisiizi to help as Jim is an Adult Cardiologist.  So we have run a Cardiac Clinic and been able to get an opinion and echocardiogram on many patients which has been valuable. 

So we are really grateful for all the support and encouragement and practical help our visitors bring with them