Name
Emily Cornish
Email
emily.cornish@chch.ox.ac.uk
Project title
Women and Child Health in Rural Southwestern Uganda
Location of your Elective
Kagando Hospital
Kasese district
Uganda
Electives coordinator Robert Olupot: olupotr2011@gmail.com
Hospital site: http://www.kagando.org
Friends of Kagando charity site:
http://www.friendsofkagando.org.uk
Contact details for your elective (eg. Website
address or email address of your project coordinator)
What did you achieve?
Would you recommend this location / project to
others?
1) Gained an enormous amount of understanding about the
problems faced by hospitals in under-resourced, understaffed countries
2) Enhanced clinical skills: conducted several full clerkings on
a daily basis, including paediatric, geriatric and obstetric
patients
3) Procedures: performed procedures I would not normally
have the chance to do in the UK such as neonatal lumbar
puncture, paediatric femoral line insertion and episiotomy
repair (all under supervision)
4) Learned specifically about the complications of pregnancy
and childbirth for women in Uganda (including vesicovaginal fistula and its sequelae, malaria in pregnancy, the
high Caesarean rate and the ethical implications of HIV in
pregnancy) and participated actively in their management
5) Participated in women’s health outreach in the remote hill
communities of southwestern Uganda, including education
about contraception, nutrition and cervical screening
Yes, absolutely, as long as you are prepared for a lot of
unsupervised work and for the difficulties of facing child
mortality/untreatable patients on a daily basis.
Further comments (eg. Travel advice, tips for
organising an elective similar to this etc.)
Organisation is very easy through contacting either Robert Olupot
or Friends of Kagando, and there is a small but highly active and
committed network of UK doctors and nurses who visit Kagando
regularly and can provide lots of useful advice. Accommodation for
elective students is in the very nice Edward Clay House, with all
meals provided by very friendly staff. The hospital is about an 8hr
bus from Kampala – we took the Link Bus Company coach, which
was absolutely fine, but others have hired private transport (which
might be more sensible if you are travelling in the dark).
Would you be happy for you feedback form to
be available on our website?
Further comments (eg. A review of your trip)
max. 500 words.
Yes with email address
I had an absolutely unforgettable experience in Uganda and gained
an enormous amount of practical clinical experience – my friend
and I conducted our own ward rounds, performed procedures,
coordinated treatment decisions, gave case presentation seminars
and had an unparalleled opportunity to build on our history and
examination skills. I encountered pathologies I have never seen
before (miliary TB, schistosomiasis, eclampsia, neonatal tetanus,
cerebral malaria, cryptococcal meningitis) and learned a huge
amount about their management. I could not recommend the
hospital highly enough (despite the caveats above). I hope to write
a full report for The Medical Woman so more details will be
available there!