"Mortality rates are high"

So, nothing like a discouraging email to wrap up one’s time…from Dr. Fred, our primary contact at UNICEF in the Kampala office:

A team from UNICEF, including myself, visited the district last week and noticed a number of technical challenges at Nyahuka HC IV with the Inpatient care management [of malnutrition]; protocols don't seem to be followed and health workers there seem not to be knowledgeable on what they are doing, mortality rate is quite high. We would like to come and support the staff directly by having an on site refresher training on key elements of management of acute malnutrition.

Please inform the hospital and Nyahuka HC IV staff about our visit.

I was pretty bummed when I saw these observations in print. Some of it is the truth and some is not the whole truth...not surprising from a huge organization who made such judgements on a visit of an hour or two in length, but it does accurately reflect my discouragement most of the time with the state of things…it just hurt to see it in print from someone who matters, who makes decisions on whether or not to continue to help us help Bundibugyo…
So, starting tomorrow Monday 6 September and extending throughout this week, UNICEF takes on Bundibugyo pediatric malnutrition firsthand. What you don’t see from the email portion taken from above is that in addition to their onsite training at Nyahuka, they also hope to use this week to encourage/support the initiation of an inpatient pediatric malnutrition unit at the district Hospital in Bundibugyo. This will benefit all of us in Bundibugyo, hopefully lightening the burden of disease at Nyahuka and extending access of care to people on the other end of the district who may not have previously had access as easily to care.
“They are welcome. They will find us here” said Mr. Biguye, the in charge clinical officer at Nyahuka when I told him yesterday of the upcoming visit. “If they are coming to train us, they are most welcome.” Thankful for the staff’s welcome of information and training, I pray that staff will in fact be found there and active and ready and willing to learn and act on what they learn. This is another opportunity for handover of responsibility from World Harvest to the district health staff and the one most directly involving me sphere of influence, so what happens this week and more importantly what happens as a result of what happens this week, is very near and dear to my heart. How will Bundibugyo continue to provide for it’s own? Please pray with me.