With a waiting list of 100 adults and 200 children in need of cardiac surgery, a CardioStart surgical team will be welcomed to Uganda Heart Institute in Kampala, Uganda, Africa. The 10-year-old hospital is leaning on five international cardiac teams to help them develop their program through a 5-year plan.
The Heart Institute’s needs are great. With various types of medical equipment in need of repair, biomed personnel can be instrumental in helping. A new cardiac catheterization lab was recently opened and can use interventional cardiac support, especially with pediatrics.
Equipment, skilled staff and disposable supplies are in desperate need in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Neonatal ventilators are crucial. Staff and the child’s family frequently are required to hand-ventilate the infant for days at a time. Trained NICU staffing is limited and a room is filled with non-functioning incubators. As a result, premature neonates are warmed with home-grade heating pads, which can lead to potential harm.
Within a country of more than 32 million people, the Uganda Heart Institute is in the process of building a full-service catheterization laboratory adjacent to the intensive care unit and operating suite. Currently, only private vascular angiography is available in the country. Two echocardiogram machines are in operation with local cardiologists operating them.
With Swahili and English as the primary languages, Uganda is making great strides in meeting its Millennium Development Goals set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The country has had success in HIV/AIDs prevention and medical care access for the impoverished. In 2005, infant mortality rate was 79 per 1,000 births. And life expectancy for females was 50.2, and 49.1 for males. In the early 2000’s, there were eight physicians per 100,000 persons.
The Rotary Club of Kampala has been instrumental in helping the hospital’s programs for the poor. They are motivated to work with other out-of-country clubs to fund local projects. During CardioStart’s two-week mission, there will be many outreach projects available for mission volunteers.
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