Focused Reflections
We were asked to create a few focused reflections. I have chosen to focus on cultural differences in food, present a story behind a picture, and compare several of Uganda's hospitals.
1. Cultural differences: Food
We ate tons of food while in Uganda! Overall, I really enjoyed it, although I didn’t like Matoke as much as I’d hope. I have included several pictures of the food I ate while in Uganda below. Because food at restaurants takes on average several hours in Uganda we typically got a buffet. This meant tons of food! A “typical menu” in Uganda included soups, meat (chicken, beef and pork), rice, Irish potatoes, chapatti, maybe greens and we usually had soda. Most of the food we ate was simply a variation of this typical meal. However, I wanted to highlight one particular restaurant and meal.
- Name: Lake Bunyoni Resort Restaurant- Location: Lake Bunyoni
- Appearance: The restaurant was a very open fill. We were able to see the lake and they also had candles (picture also below). There were tons of waiters! After dinner we danced (see pictures in journal). It was a very relaxed feel.
- Food: This meal was buffet. There was chicken, beef, rice, Irish potatoes and chapatti. Yum! The chicken was fried similar to how we do it in the U.S; however the chicken here tends to have less meat on it. Probably because it’s natural. Although I didn’t eat the beef they were beef pieces in a sauce that had veggies mixed. The rice was typical and so were the potatoes. Chapatti is a type of flat bread made from flour. It is typically cooked in a shallow pan. It’s very good. You can see I bit a piece on the picture.
1. Cultural differences: Food
We ate tons of food while in Uganda! Overall, I really enjoyed it, although I didn’t like Matoke as much as I’d hope. I have included several pictures of the food I ate while in Uganda below. Because food at restaurants takes on average several hours in Uganda we typically got a buffet. This meant tons of food! A “typical menu” in Uganda included soups, meat (chicken, beef and pork), rice, Irish potatoes, chapatti, maybe greens and we usually had soda. Most of the food we ate was simply a variation of this typical meal. However, I wanted to highlight one particular restaurant and meal.
- Name: Lake Bunyoni Resort Restaurant- Location: Lake Bunyoni
- Appearance: The restaurant was a very open fill. We were able to see the lake and they also had candles (picture also below). There were tons of waiters! After dinner we danced (see pictures in journal). It was a very relaxed feel.
- Food: This meal was buffet. There was chicken, beef, rice, Irish potatoes and chapatti. Yum! The chicken was fried similar to how we do it in the U.S; however the chicken here tends to have less meat on it. Probably because it’s natural. Although I didn’t eat the beef they were beef pieces in a sauce that had veggies mixed. The rice was typical and so were the potatoes. Chapatti is a type of flat bread made from flour. It is typically cooked in a shallow pan. It’s very good. You can see I bit a piece on the picture.
Ugandan Food! Yum! (click photos to enlarge)
2. Personal values and own culture: Meeting Semakulei
We were visiting the MWANAMUGIMU clinic. I was learning a great deal about malnutrition in Uganda. However, I was a bit sad. I saw dozens of really sick children. There mothers either lying on their small hospital beds or leaning on their bed next to them. Everyone seemed so incredibly sad, hope was very low. We were leaving the emergency clinics and walked into the rehabilitation clinic. There on the floor we were greeted by a young boy. He was sitting up with his legs spread out playing with a house. He wore pink pants with fur on the bottom, a red and black stripped shirt and a white and orange hat! He stopped to look at us as we came into the door. His eyes were gorgeous to me. He looked me right in my eyes. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a child look at me like that. He was so quiet. He smiled and played with a lime green/purple/orange and yellow house.
I couldn’t turn away. Then he cried! The house was on his foot. I took it off and he stopped. He laughed and smiled and we had to leave. Later I saw him again with his mother. We were handing out beanie babies and I made sure to find him. That’s when I took the picture of him. I had to. For some reason this little guy stayed with me. I can’t believe just weeks before he was a very frail child. He looked like the kids that almost put me to tears. He made me smile! It spoke to me because his life was changed. I then understood more than ever the power of food and the importance of nutrition. I knew then more than ever I wanted to be a pediatrician. It just felt real to me. Thank you Semakulei!
We were visiting the MWANAMUGIMU clinic. I was learning a great deal about malnutrition in Uganda. However, I was a bit sad. I saw dozens of really sick children. There mothers either lying on their small hospital beds or leaning on their bed next to them. Everyone seemed so incredibly sad, hope was very low. We were leaving the emergency clinics and walked into the rehabilitation clinic. There on the floor we were greeted by a young boy. He was sitting up with his legs spread out playing with a house. He wore pink pants with fur on the bottom, a red and black stripped shirt and a white and orange hat! He stopped to look at us as we came into the door. His eyes were gorgeous to me. He looked me right in my eyes. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a child look at me like that. He was so quiet. He smiled and played with a lime green/purple/orange and yellow house.
I couldn’t turn away. Then he cried! The house was on his foot. I took it off and he stopped. He laughed and smiled and we had to leave. Later I saw him again with his mother. We were handing out beanie babies and I made sure to find him. That’s when I took the picture of him. I had to. For some reason this little guy stayed with me. I can’t believe just weeks before he was a very frail child. He looked like the kids that almost put me to tears. He made me smile! It spoke to me because his life was changed. I then understood more than ever the power of food and the importance of nutrition. I knew then more than ever I wanted to be a pediatrician. It just felt real to me. Thank you Semakulei!
3. Health Care Systems, Clean Water, Nutrition, Infectious Diseases:
Ranking for the various health systems:
1 = highest
2 = intermediate
3 = lowest
Ranking for the various health systems:
1 = highest
2 = intermediate
3 = lowest
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Explanation of “Access to trained health care workers”:
I ranked Mulago as 1 because as a national referral hospital it undeniably attracts the most healthcare providers. It is in the city, near Makerere and likely offers a steady patient flow and pay. When we visited the other two smaller hospitals we were told that they have very little physicians available. For example, at Kabale their medical superintendent, Dr. Osinde shared that they have 2 OBGYNS and 1 Family Practitioner. They have a Pediatrician and Dentist available 1 day a week for 1 hr while their 1 Radiologist is available 2 days a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. Kabale with its limited resources serves approximately two million people. I think about like this, Madison, WI with a population of about a quarter-million has four hospitals. All probably filled with physicians! On paper, a hospital their size should have 37 physicians and here there are really only 3 full-time. Can you imagine that? It’s unbelievable. As such, the hospitals are very dependent on their nursing staff. Here you will find general nurses doing things that nurses in the US would never do (ex: small surgeries). Yet another example is Lyantonde hospital which had three doctors (just 1 surgeon) that served over 74,000 people.
Explanation of “Crowding”: This was a difficult ranking because quite frankly all of the hospitals were crowded. Each hospital we visited seemed so busy. However, because Mulago is the national referral hospital I gave it 1. It will most likely get the most people. However, the Lyantonde hospital has 100 beds and there maybe 2-3 children on one bed at any given time. In all three there were tons of people everywhere! People slept on mats indoors and out.
Explanation of “Access to medical equipment”: I nearly certain that Mulago because it actually has the most physicians will have the most medical equipment. I based my ranking on my first ranking.
Explanation of “Sanitation”: Mulago was the first hospital we toured and the largest, but it was very unsanitary. The reason I probably marked it high is because there were people cleaning by patients, the labs had garbage outside of them (with used equipment), and the floors were fairly unclean. It just seemed very unclean. I just remember Kabale being fairly clean so I ranked it first.
Note: Ranking was difficult because most of the issues are fairly universal.
I ranked Mulago as 1 because as a national referral hospital it undeniably attracts the most healthcare providers. It is in the city, near Makerere and likely offers a steady patient flow and pay. When we visited the other two smaller hospitals we were told that they have very little physicians available. For example, at Kabale their medical superintendent, Dr. Osinde shared that they have 2 OBGYNS and 1 Family Practitioner. They have a Pediatrician and Dentist available 1 day a week for 1 hr while their 1 Radiologist is available 2 days a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. Kabale with its limited resources serves approximately two million people. I think about like this, Madison, WI with a population of about a quarter-million has four hospitals. All probably filled with physicians! On paper, a hospital their size should have 37 physicians and here there are really only 3 full-time. Can you imagine that? It’s unbelievable. As such, the hospitals are very dependent on their nursing staff. Here you will find general nurses doing things that nurses in the US would never do (ex: small surgeries). Yet another example is Lyantonde hospital which had three doctors (just 1 surgeon) that served over 74,000 people.
Explanation of “Crowding”: This was a difficult ranking because quite frankly all of the hospitals were crowded. Each hospital we visited seemed so busy. However, because Mulago is the national referral hospital I gave it 1. It will most likely get the most people. However, the Lyantonde hospital has 100 beds and there maybe 2-3 children on one bed at any given time. In all three there were tons of people everywhere! People slept on mats indoors and out.
Explanation of “Access to medical equipment”: I nearly certain that Mulago because it actually has the most physicians will have the most medical equipment. I based my ranking on my first ranking.
Explanation of “Sanitation”: Mulago was the first hospital we toured and the largest, but it was very unsanitary. The reason I probably marked it high is because there were people cleaning by patients, the labs had garbage outside of them (with used equipment), and the floors were fairly unclean. It just seemed very unclean. I just remember Kabale being fairly clean so I ranked it first.
Note: Ranking was difficult because most of the issues are fairly universal.