Finally............

Previously I wrote on my experience in Mulago Hospital in Kampala Uganda. I have done so much, boarded many border-borders (mean of transport to get by quickly in Kampala using motorcycles).I had spent more money on going and coming out of Mulago which I do not have anyway. I have paid for my dentures two weeks ago and every time I do been there, dentists retake measurements. They always find a reason for that. But they also had something common that they complained about” They all complained about how nurses and fellow dentists steal the Mulago Hospital properties, in this case I mean the plates that they use to take measurements of dentures. They also complained on how they are being underpaid. How they lack resources.

All the times I do been they, they used oversized plates, they done it in fear that what if the dentures doesn’t fit in. But as professionals, they always know how to fix it. So last Wednesday I was at the place, they took measurements again and made an appointment to pick them today 23 December 2009.

I didn’t have a very good sleep, I do been sick from malaria and some running stomach which I had no idea on the cause of it. Well I didn’t recall that today was Wednesday until when I scrolled through my phone look for a number to call, and then I saw that note in my drafts about attending the dentist. It was now 12 midday and the dentist clinic closes at 12:30, I boarded a border-border and rushed to Mulago. I arrived there 15 minutes before closing; they rushed me to the waiting room as if I was a victim of a fatal accident.

They brought the dentures in a black cup, they fit in right and they all smiled as if they had saved someone from death. I did experience some kind of this on 16th Feb 2009 when I had a hernia surgery in Mityana hospital. Doctors there also most operate patients on nothing. Ugandan hospitals do not have equipments and medical personals are underpaid yet those in political offices rob sums of money.

That evening was good for both of me and my day ended well but a little bit of disappointed by the hospital. I have visited. In early August 2008, I visited Mengo Hospital. They charged me lot of money just for examination and told me to pay a huge amount of money for the Hernia Surgery, they are the one who wanted me to pay the 450000 UGX but since I had no money, I left while my money for examination was taken.

It took me much time to just save that money. And in the end, the examination result paper got lost when I went to see the Doctor who will handle my case, am not good on shouting, so I kept quite as they check the results papers and after an hour or more, the results was no where to be seen. So I left for home without them. You can read about Mengo Hospital on the link below www.mengohospital.com.

I made my decisions that I will go for that surgery in Mulago hospital, but also I knew that the situation was more worse than Mengo where I sat for four hours without any attention from anyone and the hospital was crowded,.

Finally I chose Mulago.You can read about Mulago Hospital on www.mulago.or.ug.

Mulago was Cheaper but also because I had have heard people say that, there in Mulago, you can go through a back door and prevent the queue (lines). When I arrived at Mulago hospital at 1pm that day, I felt sorry in my heart. I was exhausted and the pain of Hernia was high since I do been walking longer and longer in the city center and also on this hilly Mulago with both dust and rubbish running into my noses and eyes.

It was really terrible. It came worse when I could not find anyone to ask for directions. Its a very huge hospital, and for the first time, I spotted their website and now I knew, while it looks nice and talks good on the administration, its the opposite when you meet it. Nurses were too full of themselves and it looked as if someone forced them to join Nursing schools. Even receptionist, was not friendly to me. This sparked off my desire to check on Kadic Hospital.

At this pointed, I wanted to have a glass of water and no way I could find it, I cruised through the corridors of Mulago as if I was a tourist, passing by patients who were crowded as if Pope Benedict is opening International Youth Day anywhere near Mulago, patients who don’t knew when will they be with able to see the Doctor and who are not sure if,at all they was a chance of meeting a doctor, they will leave and go home not in a coffin(call it casket). Having suffered there, I choose to get on a taxi and head to Mityana but until I checked with several private hospitals, I won’t go to hit the road to a Mityana which was 45 kilometers from Kampala.

I arrived at the Kadic Hosptal in Bukoto at around 3pm.There was some people and few patients. In this Hospital, Nurses out numbered the patients and I immediately asked why? Later I learned that ,the only people who get to this place are of A class.

Sorry,Kadic Hospital’s website was not loading. Well, my turn came and I handed myself in the hands of Dr. HB who examined me at no cost at all.

Seeing Uganda go by from my point of view can be a very depressing existence. But once in a while, someone comes around and renews your hope. And you find a reason to love and laugh, or at least to smile. When Dr.HB told me that the examination is free, I wept in my heart and rethink my money that went to Mengo hospital just for that.

Then, I found some energy to ask him about the bills. This friendly talking Doctor told me that, the bills will differ from three things. I asked what they are. He said that " Hospital bills differ from each other even if they offer the same service, Then there's a professional fee and Medication fee. Am to take this whole service from Kadic hospital, their surgeon may charge around 2.5m Ugx and as we talked, he told me that he also operates in another medical center called City Medical Center also in Bukoto, few meters away from Kadic if not kilometers and there he said that, I go to that place, he will at least twist and charge me at around 1.9M Ugx. I waved goodbye to him and told him that I will come back.

When I left the compound of Kadic, somehow felt angry and abandoned gave a call to the Doctor in Mengo who examined me, asking him what will the 450000 cover? He replied that “that’s only surgery and no medicines, I didn't ask any more questions and my heart agreed that our country is really on the brink and went to dogs.

I loaded myself in a Taxi, as soon as I sat down, it started raining. I liked the breezes and I smiled. Somehow not sure why but the though of a lady who wanted to be attended to first before me yet I was the first came also in( I strongly believe in first come ,first serve business)
.I chose to ignore that and called it a day. The next day I was on taxi again to Mityana where the hernia was done.