Progress Report

• The work of the Wellspring Children’s Medical Centre is progressing well, with a sharp increase in patient throughput over the past 12 months with a higher proportion of under 5s and a reduction in the number of adults seen in clinic.
  
• The majority of illnesses seen are malaria, chest infections and typhoid.
• Other problems include minor injuries, skin rashes, ear and throat infections, worms
• In addition, anaemia associated with malaria, Sickle Cell Disease and HIV/AIDS has been treated along with other symptoms encountered by the chronically sick
• The acute day care ward has seen an increase in malaria sufferers in 2009, all being successfully treated. Children dehydrated due to gastrointestinal diseases have also been treated. Many children, who may have been at risk of death from acute malaria attacks are being successfully treated on this unit.
• The appointment of a lab assistant and the setting up of the lab has greatly improved medical care. The Masaka health department (via Dr Stuart Musisi) has provided essential lab equipment and solutions. Additional equipment has been provided through the Operation Uganda shipment. Accurate diagnoses of malaria, anaemia, typhoid etc has enabled the staff to provide the correct medication thus avoiding unnecessary treatment and the risk of increasing drug resistance.
• Vaccination programme: Vaccination clinics are now held regularly in the clinic. Vaccination fridges have been provided through the Masaka health department, together with all vaccinations, de-worming tablets, vitamin A tablets and needles and syringes. Outreach clinics have also begun since March.
• Outreach work: The arrival of the Wellspring ambulance has proved invaluable in the setting up of the outreach work. Twice a week 2 nurses and the driver travel to outlying villages to administer vaccinations, vitamin supplements and de-worming tablets, distribute mosquito nets and hygiene materials and provide health education. 10 community health workers have been recruited to assist in the outreach programme. Hundreds of children are receiving life saving vaccinations which they may not have otherwise accessed.