A Spanish health cooperation project brings the only medical visit of the year to 1,500 Ugandans in Oluvu.
Dr. Marc Vives and students of the School of Medicine of the University of Navarra have collaborated with the NGO Adesci in addressing cases of malaria, hypertension and respiratory, urinary and dermatological infections among the residents of this African village.
FotoCedida/Vecinosof the Oluvu village with Dr. Marc Vives, the students of School of Medicine, and other volunteers of the NGO Adesci.
Oluvu is a rural village of 20,000 in northwestern Uganda that never receives visit from a local doctor. "Over the past two weeks we have visited 1,606 patients. They are very poor. Some are seriously ill and little can be done for them, but at least they have been cared for with dignity and received some comfort." This is the story of Dr. Marc Vives, specialist in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at the Clínica Universidad de NavarraThis summer, for the fifth time, he took part in a cooperation trip organized by the NGO Adesci.
group Dr. Vives and three fifth year students of the University of Navarra's Medical School School were part of a group of professionals and university students from Pamplona, Barcelona, Kampala, Hong Kong and Taiwan who took part in this solidarity action.
Under the supervision of two doctors, the medical students have collaborated in the enquiry and each of them has helped in the care of about 50 patients each day. The student Ignacio Moraga pointed out that "thanks to the tests, we have helped to diagnose and treat many children with malaria", a widespread ailment which, as Dr. Vives reminds us, "has a simple and inexpensive treatment".
The team of students and doctors have also encountered many cases of respiratory, urinary and dermatological infections. Bertrand Mbongo, a medical student at the University of Navarra, pointed out that skin problems among the local Ugandan population "are mostly caused by a lack of hygiene, a common problem, unfortunately, due to the living conditions in which they find themselves".
Dr. Vives explained that before going to enquiry, "we took the patients' vital signs under a tree, and we discovered several dozen hypertensive patients who were unaware of their disease". Juan Molins, also student of Medicine, acknowledged that "we have learned a lot", and especially appreciated the opportunity to participate in this health cooperation program in Uganda in his training as a doctor: "I have rediscovered the most genuine meaning of our profession: caring for the patient".
