Community Outreach

The value of mental health outreach into the communities of rural Uganda was demonstrated again this week as the team from Kagando Hospital, led by PCO Joseph Wakabo, held an outreach clinic at Kinyamaseke, supported by Jamie’s Fund.

Kinyamaseke is 12km from Kagando Hospital which can take up to an hour, travelling by car on local roads. This community is located just north of the Queen Elizabeth National Park in the East Africa Rift Valley and is about 45km south west of the district capital of Kasese.

The team, consisting of Joseph Wakabi psychiatric clinical officer, and Robert Baluku a mental health nurse as well as the driver, held an outdoor clinic and were able to meet 43 patients during the visit. This is highly significant given that most of these people would otherwise have had to walk to the hospital to meet the team to collect the regular medication upon which they depend or to receive an initial diagnosis for their condition.

Of the 43 patients, just over half live with epilepsy, a condition that is treated by mental health teams in Uganda and in much of Africa. Of the remaining patients, there were a number of conditions including psychosis and one person with possible Parkinsons disease. All the patients will be seen again on the 30th May provided that they can again get to the clinic. The majority of patients live in the sub-countyof Munkunyu and the maximum distance patients had to walk to the clinic was about 5km.

 

Last month two men who had been shackled because of their mental disturbance were started on treatment and we are very pleased to hear that it was now safe for them to have the shackles removed. This will enable them to return to being constructive members of the community.

The cost of providing a clinic like the one at Kinyamaseke may be as little as £50, but it can transform lives. Jamie’s Fund is pleased to support this work but it depends on your generosity and support. Please donate today, if you can.