The district of Kisoro is located in the far south-western corner of Uganda, a few miles from both Rwanda to the south and the Congo to the east. It is a poor, remote and beautifully rugged land of sharp hills, towering volcanoes and serpentine lakes. It is accessible only after hours of winding dirt roads. The district is over-populated, meaning the land is over-farmed and the hospitals overcrowded.
The Kisoro District Hospital, where we will be working, is the only public hospital in the district. (There is a private catholic hospital nearby, better equipped, but costs money). The hospital is very underfunded, meaning few doctors, no specialists and very limited resources. Doctors earn less than $4000/ year with little potential for extra income. In the cities, doctors earn twice that amount, deterring physicians from staying in the rural areas of Africa where they are greatly needed. At last count, there were three physicans caring for 150 beds comprising Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics/Gynecology wards plus the bustling HIV clinics. The nursing staff is at 60% capacity and there are 2 lab technicians. Needless to say, there will be plenty of work to go around for our team.
A few statistics about Uganda:
Population 28.8 million
38% of the population live below the national poverty line
87% of the population live in rural areas
Life expectancy: 49 years
Infant mortalilty rate: 80/1000 births (compared to 6.43/1000 births in the US)
23% of children are malnourished
6.8% of the population is infected with HIV
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