GOD IS LOVE, AND THOSE WHO ABIDE IN LOVE ABIDE IN GOD, AND GOD ABIDES IN THEM -1 John 4:16

 

Friends of Ndolage                                                                           Friends Letter 2008

Ndolage Hospital                                                                               P.O.Box 34                                                                                                                            Kamachumu                                                                                                                          Kagera-Region                                                                                                                                  Tanzania                                                                                                                               10.12.2008

 

Dear Friends of Ndolage!

 

Asked whether she would like to leave Ndolage Hospital in order to earn a better salary at a governmental hospital, Mrs. Dina Kaimukilwa, aged 52, answers with a clear, “Never!” For almost 30 years she has been a registered nurse at this Lutheran hospital overlooking the west shore of Lake Victoria, where she has watched with increasing concern as qualified staff leave employment at church hospitals and dispensaries to work at better salaries for governmental institutions. The Tanzanian government has been increasing salary support at its public hospitals, and it is now competing more successfully for the available doctors, nurses, and physician assistants. Church health care institutions, on the other hand, have been receiving less generous governmental support. The nation's health care leaders even tend consider faith-based health institutions as part of the private for-profit sector of health care, rather than the integral charitable not-for-profit institutions they are. They are essential “back up” institutions for an inadequate public health care system, sometimes being the only places that the poor can actually receive free care. This change comes at a time when financial support from foreign countries and agencies continues to be withdrawn, when there is increasing poverty and family stress with the AIDS epidemic, and when hospitals already are having trouble paying their workers despite their shrinking staff size.

Mrs. Kaimukilwa wants to continue working at Ndolage because she sees her work as blessed by the Lord. Also, she would feel guilty if the villagers, who have been coming there for the past 80 years, should ever find only empty hospital buildings, without the nurses and doctors they have come to depend on. Ndolage has been only place to go for skilled surgery during all this time. Another reason for staying at her job is the respect that has always been associated with being a church worker. As the church struggles to find both a living wage and housing for its workers, she nonetheless remains optimistic that some way will be found to pay the school fees for her children.

Ma Dina, as she is respectfully called in the Kihaya language, is only one example from among the many who try hard to keep this 250 bed hospital working. For 140,000 people, it is the only hospital reachable on foot or by bicycle in one day's time. Many patients also come from the entire Kagera Region (2 million inhabitants), either because they didn’t get sufficient help elsewhere or they feel that there is better care at Ndolage.

One such patient is Mr. John Paul, who lives in Mubunda, a village 85 km from Ndolage. After being married for 42 years, his wife died 2 years ago from diarrhea and vomiting. Only one of their 6 children survives, a married daughter living in a village 20 km away. His other 5 children have died over the last 10 years from different infectious diseases, leaving this 69 year old grandfather to care for 8 of his grandchildren.

When digging a pit latrine for his family Mr. Paul suddenly felt a pain in his bare left toe, from the bite of a black snake which he then killed. He applied a tourniquet and lanced the skin around the bite in order to slow absorption of the venom. He then went to a traditional healer, but after two days he lost sensation in the foot, the pain grew worse, and the toes blackened and began to decay. A village health worker advised him to be treated in a hospital, but he had insufficient money. After three more weeks, an evangelist at the Evangelical-Lutheran parish at Kitaba, found him on a routine visit and arranged an examination at Ilemera Health Centre. Gangrene from the tourniquet was diagnosed, and he was admitted for free care at Ndolage.

At this point, the limb was beyond salvaging and all that could be offered was amputation. The stump healed after a long time of dressings and physiotherapy. At discharge, he was very grateful. “Doctor! No more pains in my leg, I can walk very well with my crutch, and you may now discharge me back to my village to be with my grand children, alone now 4 months in my house!”

The treatment and living expenses for Mr. Paul and his daughter, who accompanied him during these 4 months, were paid by donations to the Ndolage Poor-Patients-Fund. Unfortunately, donations to this fund are insufficient to help the many families with similar needs. Also, the focus has been on the care of children from poor families, who are more vulnerable to death and morbidity than adults are without timely and essential medical care. Parents only pay once, the equivalent of 2.- Euro. During 2007, more than 1000 children were treated. From July to September, 2008, 427 children were supported by 9,410.- Euro, many of them receiving life-saving treatment. However, this expense has not yet been covered by outside donations, and the parish of Ndolage village has begun to support the PPF from their small weekly offerings.

Further news:

 

- Izimbya Health Center, 35 km north of Ndolage, has been and institution supervised by Ndolage Hospital for many years. Recently, it was upgraded by the government to a, “Designated District Hospital,” with major government financial support. Under the leadership of Dr. Lilian Kafuruki, a young medical officer, there are 2 physician assistants, 5 nurses and some unskilled workers who now provide all the basic medical care needed for patients in that area.

- The clinic for people living with HIV/AIDS, with more than 600 registered patients, is very much appreciated by the local population.

- You can find recent photos of Ndolage on the internet at www.panoramio.com, Search: tag: Ndolage.

 

 

We wish you a blessed Christmas!

 

Dr. Onesmo Rwakyendela, Dr. in charge N. Tinkamwesigile, Coordinator Dr. Frank Beier

 

 

Bank account in Germany  for donations:

Vereinte Ev. Mission, KD-Bank, BLZ 350 601 90, Konto-Nr.: 90 90 90 8, Purpose: Code Ndolage-PPF and complete address for the donation certificate. (For better planning a standing order is very helpful)                                                           

Contact:                                                                                                                                             

Coordinator PPF, Mr. Tinkamwesigile: elctnwdppf@yahoo.com

Hospital Administration: elctndolage@yahoo.com

Dr. Onesmo Rwakyendela: onesmor2000@yahoo.co.uk 

Dr. Frank Beier: SilkeFrankB@web.de, Tiefenstr. 4, 33824 Werther, Germany Tel. 0049-5203-296971