From its inception in 2009, Caring Hands Mulago has been a beacon for those patients who do not have the so much needed care, a caring hand. With the way Mulago is structured every patient needs a relative to support the Clinicians in ensuring that they deliver medical services to the patient. This may involve feeding the patient, escorting them for investigations to buying the drugs and other sundries when they are not available in the hospital as is often the case. With that scenario in mind, it is not so hard to imagine what happens when you present to the emergency unit without a relative or worse still when you are unconscious.

To address this gap doctor Charles Holt and the directors of the caring hands foundation recruited a medical team consisting of 2 doctors, a Nurse and a Social Worker to care for such patients. To this end, the caring hands medical team work with the Social Worker department of Mulago Hospital to identify and support those patients who are in dire need of this support. We work with the primary doctors, filling in the gaps of care for these patients. Our work has involved working with accident victims, orphans and other vulnerable children as well as single mothers who cannot buy medicine or provide food for their patients.

We do provide medicines and sundries for those who cannot afford them, support surgeons in ensuring that they get the gadgets needed to perform some major operations.  Working with the ICU doctors and nurses we have ensured that patients receive the necessary antibiotics, which are lifesaving but would otherwise have been out of reach for these patients. We have witnessed first hand the power of hope and compassion and the fruits of holistic care. Our nurse does not only provide nursing care but takes time to ensure that the patients understand what their medical conditions are and why they need to adhere to the doctors instructions. The social work evaluates the patients’ social needs, conducts counseling and also does home visits as well as escorting patients back to their homes. This job is not without challenges, sometimes we have been met with requests that are beyond our reach like providing dialysis for children with chronic disease or being able to provide long term chemotherapy for patients with cancer. With such dilemmas we have learned to have strategic collaborations with the palliative care team as well as other humanitarian organizations that are able to provide these services.

Above all the team has been able to share the love and word of God through working with spiritual leaders as well as conducting prayers for the sick.

With Caring Hands around, we have witnessed a transformation in people’s health. We have seen patients who had lost all hope walk home with a smile on their faces.

We are grateful to be part of this great work of extending a caring hand to the patients in Mulago and Uganda as a whole.