We have just received this update from Paul Williams, volunteering with VSO in Bwindi with his partner Vicky:

June has been an exciting month at Bwindi Community Hospital. Power has finally arrived, and although it will eventually be fuelled by a hydroelectric system, that project has yet to be completed so generators currently power the Hospital. We have 60 large batteries that are charged by the generators during the day and then power the Hospital at night. The arrival of power at Bwindi Community Hospital means that we will be able to keep newborns warm at night, our midwives will not have to deliver babies by the light of lanterns, and our doctors will not have to stitch up wounds using headlamps.

During May, Bwindi Community Hospital welcomed its' newest team member- a brand new Toyota Landcruiser ambulance for our HIV outreach team, modified to be able to navigate the rough local terrain. We can now take HIV testing and treatment services out into the villages of this remote area instead of waiting for people to walk for a day or more to get to Bwindi Community Hospital in order to receive care.

Bwindi Community Hospital will never forget that it came into existence because of the need to provide healthcare for the Batwa pygmies. In June we opened a satellite clinic, close to the Batwa settlement of Byumba, about 20 kilometres from Bwindi. If you think Bwindi is remote, then Byumba is extreme. The health centre has been opened in order to provide much needed services to the local population in this incredibly isolated area, including the Batwa community. Byumba Health Centre will focus on providing antenatal care, increasing access to family planning, and immunisations, as well as providing basic treatment. They even performed one delivery during the first month that they were open. Urgent or complex problems will be referred to us at the Hospital.

The Children’s ward is the busiest in the hospital. There are up to 90 admissions a month with conditions like pneumonia, burns and malnutrition. A large part of the work of the children’s ward is education and prevention. Mothers of malnourished children work in the demonstration garden and have cooking lessons. Family planning, immunisations and mosquito nets are offered to all families admitted to the ward.

You do not improve health by building a nice Hospital and waiting for sick patients to find you. Prevention and education are fundamental. The Hospital has a Community Health team who spend every day in the field giving education and treatment to thousands. They teach in every school - about water safety, sanitation and good nutrition, they sell mosquito nets at subsidised prices in churches and do special outreaches to Batwa pygmy settlements. This includes immunisation to ensure that we reach the very poorest children.

The last twelve months have been a time of expansion and delivery in Bwindi Community hospital. We published an ambitious strategic plan on our website in July 2008 and by the end of June 2009 had delivered 75% of it. The hospital has limited resources and is located in a remote part of Uganda where poverty abounds. Every single percent represents a huge amount of hard work from the team.

Pictures:

• Children's ward lit up at night (JPG)
• Staff at Byumba Community Health Centre (JPG)
• Child on children's ward (JPG)