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medical personel including C.O.U Kisiizi Hospital

Medical Superintendent Dr. Tonny Tumwesigye,

whose performance in the health sector has been

exemplary.

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http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/731407

Landslide Damage

Last week there was a serious landslide that damaged the new power house and contents.  It seems that the water came down the trench containing the 800mm diameter steel pipe bringing the water down to the new generator turbine. This trench had been filled in, but the soil was still loose, and was washed down and through the back wall and roof of the new generator house. The load tank was washed off its plinth, and seems to have parted from its pipework, which prevents the new generator from working. One of the control panels was moved off the rear wall where it was mounted, but everything else was not seriously damaged. What is needed is to repair the rear wall and roof of the generator house and replace the load tank with its pipework.

This leaves the 300 paying customers outside the hospital with no power, but the Hospital is being supplied with electricity by the original hydro-electric generator, and allowing the sending of emails to the outside world.  Repair work is well underway and Paul Darrell of Scottish & Southern will be visiting Kisiizi in July.  And Jim Huthwaite, the new Power Company Manager is already there.  Nice way to start your time there Jim? 

Bill, Wanda and Mary

It takes All Sorts to work in Kisiizi Hospital.  Don’t think its all surgeons and midwives (though we need these too).  In May Kisiizi Hospital works without Bill and Wanda Lovett and Mary Mubeezi.  Bill was the Hospital’s Finance Manager and Wanda was both a School of Nursing Nurse Tutor and Community Health Nurse.  They came to Kisiizi though CMS.  The Finance work, Nurse Tutoring and Community Health needs of course continue, but they have taken their part in this important work as far as they themselves, can. Mary was a nurse, then nurse tutor and latterly the School of Nursing’s own Principal.  After years of service, the needs of family at what seemed like the other end of Uganda was calling her to move nearer.   

Bill’s style of Financial Management was not for the faint hearted, but he always sought to be fair.  Wanda’s driving was not for the faint hearted either, but it was always going to be rough in that old Suzuki and she was determined to get to the hard-to-reach villages in the area.  Mary was seen by student nurses as not for the faint heated also, but was lamented when she announced her departure.    

They all wish the Hospital well in its important work.  The Hospital is recruiting for a new Finance Manager, a new School of Nursing Principal and Nurse Tutor.  Nevertheless we will be interested in hearing from you if you believe you have skills to offer: nurse tutoring, finance, IT, vehicle maintenance, building, plumbing, HR.  Just send an email, attention Medical Superintendent, and see where it goes.

Drs Francis and Gabriel getting ready for action

before.  Dr Gabriel Okumu was in Kisiizi as Medical Officer from November 2002 to August 2006.  This time, Gabriel finished his surgery masters at Makarere University and came to Kisiizi in November 2008.  He came with his wife Maureen and son Jether.  He is a welcomed addition to our other medical specialist – Dr Francis Banya (Obs/Gyni).

He brings skills that have quickly become a real benefit for many.  For instance, recently a man came with chronic ulcers that had developed into a cancer of the stomach.  He was able to diagnose the condition at an early stage of development, and then proceed with a gastrectomy.  Later, the man went home well.  Without the skills that Gabriel was able to apply, colleagues would have found it more difficult to save this man.

What would Gabriel like to see more of?  He is interested in doing more in endoscopy.  Kisiizi Hospital has some equipment, and he has been using it.  However it is old and he is looking for a display monitor.  This would enable others to observe, learn, and take part in procedures.  More endoscopy of course is less invasive and will benefit patients too.  He’d like more monitors to manage critically ill patients (wouldn’t we all).

The workload is perhaps higher than he expected.  In many ways, Kisiizi Hospital is acting s an unofficial referral centre for the neighbouring districts.  Though he is currently very busy, we is planning to be involved in giving some training to Kisiizi’s Medical Officers.

Finally he is interested in being involved in discipling younger Christians in our community.

There was a donor who enabled the Hospital to send Gabriel to be trained as a surgeon.  We know who you are.  This support is not only appreciated by Gabriel, but also much appreciated by the Hospital, and above all – the patients.

Sometimes old friends suggest new directions.  This is what we had when CMS-UK came to visit.  Steve Burgess came to visit us in February.  He is no Africa

Steve makes a point to the Finance Manager

newbie.  He was in Kenya for 23 years, and now travels regularly throughout east Africa for CMS-UK.

Sure – he came to see Ann Moore and Bill and Wanda Lovett, sent by CMS to the Hospital at the Hospital’s request.  However he was looking to the future too.  What were the Hospital’s future needs and how should CMS help in the future?  After all, the Hospital is now a well established organisation with a mature national leadership and highly skilled Ugandan professionals on the payroll.  Kisiizi could be, and is already, a good place for short term volunteers to taste Africa while considering longer term service.  Parties of young(ish) people for 3 weeks. Medical electives for 6 weeks.  Short term professional volunteers for 3-6 months.  Kisiizi could also benefit from selected input from specialists to enhance our own skilled workforce.  Urologists, nurse tutors, internet specialists, electrical engineers, etc.

Perhaps more interesting still was that we should start relating to CMS-Africa, not a branch of CMS-UK, but an independent mission coming out of African Anglican churches in evangelical mission to Africa and elsewhere.  Now only could CMS-Africa help us, we could contribute too.  At what point will Kisiizi as a Christian community start sending people out to other, needier places, as our part in God’s mission to the poor and marginalised?  We have been blessed in the past and present – will we bless others in the future?

Scottish & Southern Energy

story of a thriving partnership between business and mission.  The waterfall next to Kisiizi Hospital has a small dam behind it which diverts water around the hillside and down to the generator house. The turbine produced 60KW of power which is of huge importance to the running of the hospital. In addition to lighting for wards and homes, power allows the use of medical and surgical equipment.

Recently Paul was assisting the team as an independent consultant on a major project to install a new generator, providing much greater capacity and allowing the distribution of electricity to the local community as well as the Hospital.

When he shared his commitment to Kisiizi with the company, Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), they contributed £500 towards an early site visit and, through a scheme to encourage staff to volunteer their free time to charities, offered me two weeks extra paid holiday to make the next visit.

A colleague in SSE’s central stores was unhappy about destroying almost half a ton of overalls and high visibility jackets, which had a disused logo. He remembered the report Paul had written for the in-house newspaper, and they arranged to send the clothing to Kisiizi and other places – with SSE agreeing to pay the shipping cost!

Last year was the 10^th anniversary of the merger that formed the new company, Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), and ten grants were offered for training projects. Paul was awarded £10,000, enabling him to pay half the expenses of the SSE staff who had expressed interest in coming to Uganda to train local apprentice electricians. During the visit last April they were able to equip a dozen apprentices to work independently.

After Paul and the team left the apprentices began the work of wiring up the ten schools, a hundred small shops, and about two hundred houses. Can you imagine the three secondary schools, trying to manage without electricity? This new access makes good use of the extra capacity of the new hydro-electric generator, and will provide income to support the hospital.

Just before the next visit, the Kisiizi Power Project Manager, mentioned that the main electricity cable next to the operating theatre needed to be diverted. One of the SSE team was a specialist in underground cable joints! On every visit, the team members’ special skills have been exactly what was needed, including the overhead line engineer who helped with the zip wire across the gorge at the waterfall.

The enlarged hydro-electric project is now complete, and can provide electricity up to 8km from the hospital along a new high voltage line. The old 60KW generator is having a well-earned rest and check-up, while still being ready to keep the hospital going during maintenance of the new 320KW generator.

Tonny hands over the site

The works begin, at long last.  Long anticipated, indeed, long promised, the site (or rather, those parts of the site being built on) has been handed over to Peter Otteskov, the Project Manager for the contractors to start work.  DANIDA (Danish Government aid) have been long interested in supporting health programmes in Uganda, and a while back promised to substantially expand our School of Nursing.  And do we need it! Since planning began the School of Nursing’s numbers have doubled, currently over 140.  There will be a new accommodation, a new library and administration, a new lecture hall and new kitchens, alongside the (admittedly cramped) existing buildings.