Two more sleeps!!

I would like to begin our ‘Uganda Blogumentary’ with a brief introduction of the team travelling to Uganda as part of the St. Joseph's Health System (SJHS) International Outreach Program (IOP), as well as a bit about the IOP history, accomplishments and ongoing objectives.

The team soon to depart for Mbarara, Uganda from July 31st to August 8th, 2010 is made up of Dr. Saramin Galinski, Ms. Marnie Buchanan, and myself, Jessica Fry. Here is a quick bio of our team!

Dr. Galinski can be found in the Operating Rooms at the Brantford General looking after patients as a staff anaesthesiologist. She also works in Hamilton as an associate clinical professor at McMaster University. Dr. Galinski has been a key member of previous trips to Uganda and this year she is the team lead of our trip to Mbarara. We are lucky to have her steering the ship!

Marnie Buchanan is the Manager of the Labour & Delivery as well as the Triage and Assessment departments in the Women’s and Infants’ Health Program at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. Marnie has been on one previous trip to Uganda and brings a wealth of clinical and management experience to our team. Marnie will be working hard on the current trip to further relationships and nursing initiatives that were started during her last visit to Uganda.

Last but not least, I am Jessica Fry. I also work at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton as a Performance Improvement Consultant in the Quality, Planning and Performance Improvement Program (QPPIP). My objectives are to provide training and information exchange in the areas of Quality and Process Improvement, as well as Measurement and Analysis. This is my first trip with the SJHS IOP - and my first time to Africa! I am honoured to be a part of this team and this program, and am SO excited to begin this journey!!

To provide you with some context for the current trip and our blog (which I hope you continue to follow!), here is a bit of background information about the SJHS IOP:

The St. Joseph’s Health System has proudly engaged in international outreach to global communities since 1986. The primary programs at this time are in Haiti and Uganda, though prior programs include Russia, Yemen, Romania, Domenica and others. International Outreach is funded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, Canada and supported by member organizations and friends of St. Joseph's Health System. Projects complement sustainable work already underway in our partner countries, and outreach teams include the Sisters of St. Joseph, doctors and nurses, biomedical engineers, and lay people. SJHS has also trained 50 doctors from Uganda and Haiti at hospitals in Canada, including St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Uganda is a country with a population nearly the size of Canada (nearly 28 million) in an area less than a quarter of the size of Ontario. The country is ranked 144th in the Human Development Index of the United Nations. A previous British colony, its medical schools retain the structure of the British model. Like other countries in the region, Uganda faces many health challenges including Malaria and AIDS. Basic medical equipment, training and supplies can have a dramatic and immediate impact on the people of this nation.

What St. Joseph’s Does In Uganda:

The SJHS IOP focus was initially the provision of medical equipment and supplies but now includes education and training of medical residents and fellows.
-St. Joseph’s sends needed medical equipment to medical and teaching centres in Kampala and Mbarara. Previous shipments have included thousands of items including medical equipment like ultrasound and anaesthesia machines, medical supplies including gauze, stretchers, syringes, and lab supplies, and oxygen and pharmaceuticals.
-St. Joseph’s provides education opportunities in Canada for Ugandan Doctors
-St. Joseph’s brings biomedical engineering expertise to these communities to repair donated equipment, and teach equipment maintenance to Ugandan colleagues
-St. Joseph’s supports research activities through a pool of PhDs in Canada who review and advises on Ugandan colleagues’ work. At the present time the focus of research in Uganda is: HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
-St. Joseph’s investigates potential sources of funding for research in Uganda
-St. Joseph’s supports an international outreach coordinator in Mbarara and Kampala, Uganda
-St. Joseph’s sponsors internet access at medical education sites

In closing, I would like to thank all those who made this trip possible and helped us in the preparations for this endeavor.

And thank YOU for reading our blog! I will try to update twice each day!



Please note that the views expressed in this blog are those of the author and not necessarily those of the St. Joseph’s Health System or the St. Joseph’s Health System International Outreach Program.