NEWS

Russian medical team offers health care at Kawempe, Buliisa

A team of Russian medical specialists on an international medical mission took to wards at Kawempe, Buliisa and Mulago hospitals to pool efforts with their Ugandan colleagues to offer health care.
The mission also donated medical assortments worth millions of shillings to Kawempe and Buliisa hospitals, to among others, boost child-maternal health.

For Kawempe, the equipment included a pair of caesarean section sets, a set of neonatal laryngoscope blades with handles, resuscitation equipment, a Zisline MV350 mechanical ventilator for intensive care and an MPR6-03 patient monitor.
They were handed over to the administrators on Friday.
This was during a brief function hosted at the hospital’s main boardroom to mark the week-long international health mission where Russian volunteer
and specialists teamed up with their Ugandan counterparts to conduct specialized medical operations at the health facilities.
“This equipment we hope will contribute to reducing the mortality of mothers and babies. We are very happy that in Russia, technical teams are our partners and some of them are with us,” said the mission leader, Ekaterina Alexeevna Glok.

The mission is part of the Russian humanitarian programme dubbed "Volunteers of the Peace," organized alongside the World Christian Association of Parliamentarians, which is supported by the Presidential Grants Foundation and Dmitry Kuznetsov, the deputy head of the Russian State Duma/Parliament.
The volunteer doctors were in Uganda from October 25 until November 2.
“The team included some of the top specialists in their fields from different regions of Russia, including Moscow, Moscow Region, the Republic of Khakassia, Orenburg Region, the Republic of Dagestan, and the Republic of Chuvashia,” said Ekaterina.
Similar missions, she said, were being conducted in Cameroon and Zambia as part of their humanitarian programme.
They also participated in key operations while on the ward, including working with national doctors to stabilize extremely premature cases and installing key equipment donated.
Ekaterina together with Alexey Tikhonovich, Rustem Ibragimov, and Anastasia Safonova participated in patient rounds, ultrasound examinations, caesarean sections, myomectomies, and hysterectomies.
Oncologist Anatoly Atasov and Maxillofacial surgeon Ruslan Melin were deployed at Mulago Hospital and supported with the examination of patients with head and neck skin tumours, various skin diseases, and fractures.
“They performed surgeries, trained local staff in surgical techniques, and advised local doctors on optimal treatment methods,” Alexeevna said.
“They performed surgeries, trained local staff in surgical techniques, and advised local doctors on optimal treatment methods,” Alexeevna said.
“During their work, the Russian doctors treated over 80 patients. Surgeons performed operations such as stitching a deep leg wound, removing lipomas, and excising various neoplasms. They assisted in childbirth, examined numerous children, and provided therapeutic care to the local population,” she said.
Their assistance included surgeries, consultations, vitamin and medication distribution, and diagnostics using a portable ultrasound machine which helped detect various diseases.
“The team also set up a prenatal care room for women, assembling a functional bed that had been packaged for over a year. They installed it, introduced it into operation, and trained the staff to use a modern fetal monitor for monitoring fetal heartbeats, a technology widely used in Russia for prenatal care. Now, similar technology is available in one of Uganda’s most remote regions,” said Ekaterina.

At Buliisa, the mission also donated medical assortments, which included two ambu bags, a caesarean section instrument set, 25 packs of dry concentrate for ultrasound gel dilution, and a fetal monitor.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between Uganda's health ministry and Zakhar's Prilspin Charity Foundation, reflecting intentions to develop medical cooperation between Russia and Uganda.
Byaruhanga Emmanuel Kayogoza, the executive director of Kawempe Hospital, commended the visiting team for all the support, particularly the donated equipment.
“We are looking forward to more co-operation and support. The fact is, the equipment we have gotten is more user-friendly compared to what we have been having,” he said.
Evgeny Revyaki, minister-counsellor at the Russian Embassy in Kampala (who represented Ambassador Vladlen Semivolos) reiterated Russia’s commitment to supporting Uganda to attain its development targets, including in the area of health.