Today was our last day of clinic. It was held at St. Matthew’s Church, the Cathedral of the Masindi-Kitara Diocese. We treated over 250 patients. The Cathedral is in town, within walking distance of our hotel and this fact meant that we saw a different type of patient than in our other, more rural sites. Today, I was a member of the set-up crew and we left ahead of the rest of the team to unload supplies, arrange benches for ‘exam rooms’ and organize the crowd. My assignment for the day was to work in triage. I saw mostly adults, most of whom brought substantial medical records (including several x-rays) with them. Many had received medical care quite recently at the local clinics or hospitals. It seemed that these people were seeking a 2^nd opinion, reassurance from U.S. physicians that they had received proper information and treatment. Others came for follow-up appointments from a previous PMI clinic, while some had old wounds or new, untreated problems. It was a beautiful, cool day and the attitude was helpful and energetic. The church was situated next to a primary school so there were many children around (Muzungu clinics tend to tempt children to play hooky). Translators, drivers, and church staff were eager to pitch in. By mid-day, clinic was rolling smoothly and triage had a tough time keeping enough patients on deck for the providers.

At lunch, we enjoyed a delicious pasta and freshly baked rolls from our hotel, with soda to drink – a special treat! Local artists had set up their paintings, sculptures and carvings for sale (actually even before clinic set up arrived). There were even books for sale by the church and some food vendors. I tried a homemade chapati bread with egg, onions, and tomatoes – for only 500 shillings, that’s $0.25!

Perhaps the highlight of my day was receiving my Empako or ‘pet name’ from one of my patients. After introducing myself, my patient asked for my empako. Upon learning that I did not yet have one, she instantly said ‘you look like Abwooli – you are round!’ Later, when talking with the Vicar, we tried to ascertain the meaning of our different pet names. Reverend Francis told me that pet names are sort of a concept, they don’t have direct translation. ‘Abwooli’ usually goes to someone who is polite, disciplined, humble – in short, “like a cat.” (?)

At the close of the day, we offered treatment to our translators and van drivers. A small group of us walked home to the hotel. The walk took us through one of the ‘residential neighborhoods’ and was quite breathtaking. We enjoyed taking pictures, practicing our Runyoro, and even made a few friends along our way. From the cool weather and positive energy, to the relationships built and connections fostered, our walk home through town seemed a fitting end to our 2 successful weeks of clinic.

Finally, the ladies of Room 7 at Masindi Hotel in Uganda send out a big hello to Rita McNeill-Allen!!

Sarah-Wade Boatwright

College of Medicine, Class of 2013

There were a few things that made our last day of clinic unique and exciting. We were able to house our entire clinic inside of the St. Matthew’s sanctuary which was quite possibly the nicest building we’ve been in since the trip began. The facility was bustling from beginning to end. Our pharmacy was manned by all first year medical students today. For those readers who are non-medical: first year medical students know nothing at all about drugs or the pharmacy in general! Pharmacology comes second year! However our team was flexible and we made it work. It has truly been a privilege to serve the Ugandans for the past two weeks!

Thomas Tyner

College of Medicine, Class of 2013