There are no emergency medicine doctors in the entire country of Uganda because no training programs exist to train them. We are working with Mbarara University to create the inaugural program. Once trained, the initial group will become the cornerstone of emergency medicine in Uganda managing the most complex emergencies at regional and national referral centers, setting policy related to emergency care at a national level, and managing the training of the non-physician midlevel provider cadre.
Every day in Uganda, hundreds of people, including many children who are particularly vulnerable, die from illnesses and injuries that are completely preventable. The World Bank recommends that countries have at least one physician per 1,000 people, but Uganda has just one physician for every 10,000 people. The lack of trained personnel means that sick or injured adults and children wait for long periods of time to see a doctor (over 24 hours), resulting in avoidable death and disability.
This program will train the first ever specialist emergency medicine physicians in Uganda, who, once trained, will manage the most complex emergencies at regional and national referral centers, set policy related to emergency care at a national level, and manage the training of the non-physician cadre. Since there are no Ugandan emergency physicians, the initial group of trainees will really become the cornerstone of emergency medicine in Uganda.
In Uganda, even at a hospital, patients wait for hours or even days to see a doctor. Many die while waiting. Emergency physicians immediately see all sick patients coming to the hospital. With quality care, many patients' lives are saved, including many children who are particularly vulnerable. Saving a patient's life can also save the economic well-being of his family. One doctor will treat at least 50,000 patients over her career, having a beneficial ripple effect on entire communities.
