Autore: Redazione Cuamm

CUAMM WITH THE POOREST OF ROME

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Two campervan set up as mobile health clinic are located in St. Peter’s square, across the left side of the Basilica’s colonnade, to offer medical healthcare to the most vulnerable and homeless people, from Monday to Sunday November the 13th, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. A healthcare facility provided by Doctors with Africa CUAMM on occasion of the World Day of the Poor to be celebrated the 13th of November. The initiative is promoted by the Dicastery for Evangelisation and in partnership with Petrone Group, Gilead Sciences and Bourelly Group.

Doctors, residents, CUAMM operators coming from all areas will take turns to welcome people and give basic assistance as blood pressure and blood glucose measurements, basic check-ups, Covid-19 tests, HIV tests, and to assess the health status of people far from the traditional routes, referring them to the national health system if needed.  One of the two campervan is used every day by Cuamm to give medical assistance to the poorest in the ghettos of Foggia province, Apulia, while the other is kindly lent by Petrone Group and Bourelly Group.

“Jesus Christ […] for your sake became poor» (cfr 2 Cor 8,9). This is the title proposed by Pope Francis to celebrate this day, to medidate on the fact that “In front of the poor one does not engage in rhetoric, but rolls up one’s sleeves and puts faith into practice through direct involvement, which cannot be delegated to anyone. […] It is not, therefore, a question of having a merely assistancial attitude towards the poor, as often happens; instead, it is necessary to commit oneself so that no one lacks what is necessary. It is not activism that saves, but sincere and generous attention that allows one to approach a poor person as a brother who stretches out his hand so that I may awaken from the torpor into which I have fallen’.

 

 

Yesterday, the US ambassador to the Holy See, Joe Donnelly, Michelangelo Simonelli of Gilead, Massimo Petrone of Petrone Group and Guido Bourelly of Gruppo Bourelly  visited (pictured).

These words sound sadly relevant and meaningful today that Africa is experiencing innumerable disasters due to the global crisis we are all living in. A crisis that, as always happen, hits hardly the poorest and the most vulnerable. In fragile contexts, national health systems have been weakened by the pandemia that has also affected access to health facilities.  Moreover, this dramatic situation is exacerbated by numerous factors as the effects of the serious global crisis we are experiencing, with the war in Ukraine; climate change; energy speculation and the many other forgotten wars…

Consequences are severe for us, as we can all testify while are dramatic in Africa where basic goods prices are soaring, from flour to milk to fuel. Health systems are as bad as 10 years ago. In this scenario, the main challenge for Cuamm is to stay by the side of the the poorest, in Italy as well as in Africa, to face daily battles which are getting bigger.

WHAT GOES UNSEEN

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Dear All,

we are now living a hard time. After the Covid-19 crisis we hoped we could breathe a sigh of relief, but war and energy speculation are putting a strain on us. Everyone is making small and big sacrifices. But even if it is difficult for us, it is even more to Africa. There, this situation has dramatic effects because populations are already very poor: there is neither a welfare system, nor any kind of social parachute.

Over the last three months I’ve been to Ethiopia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Sierra Leone. Unfortunately, these countries face a similar situation. Africa seems going backward: Silently, unseen, without a voice. You can’t see any of this, doesn’t seem to exist, no one talks about it.

What goes unseen is that in a country such as Sierra Leone the National Emergency Medical Service (NEMS) is malfunctioning and working marginally. It was put into action two years ago also with the support of CUAMM. The gas oil for the ambulances went from 8,000 to 22,000 leones per liter, enough for the first 4-5 days of the month. Then, the system crashes: we lose dozens and dozens of mothers that would need an urgent caesarean section.

What goes unseen is that at the Wolisso hospital, in Ethiopia, the cost of a pair of sterile gloves has reached 1 euro. In a day, on average, 350 pairs are used for ordinary hospital activities.

What goes unseen at Tosamaganga, in Tanzania, is that diabetes medications cost have tripled in just a few months.

What goes unseen is that in South Sudan the government is no longer able to pay salaries, the international donor funding is allocated somewhere else. You can feel the tension in the air. Someone continues to work, hoping that something comes along soon, others take up any kind of job to feed their children. How can a hospital stay operational without healthcare personnel?

Karamoja region, northeastern Uganda: what I am witnessing here, from where I am writing to you, is that ‘too many’ children are dying due to a severe malnutrition that is affecting numerous regions.

However, what you do not see (What goes unseen) is also the daily and hard work that we keep doing next to the one of many local colleagues, despite all. A persistent, silent, invisible and hidden work that keeps going, in a very tenacious way.This is what we ask you, we need your support. It is too much of a challenge to deal with on our own, a commitment that goes through the eight countries in which we operate. For each country, we have selected a hospital that is struggling more than the others are.

Chiulo in Angola, Wolisso in Ethiopia, Beira in Mozambique, Bangui in the Central African Republic, Pujehun in Sierra Leone, Lui in South Sudan, Tosamaganga in Tanzania, Aber in Uganda.

In order to cope with the increasing gas oil (for generators and transport), medicines and salaries costs, our need is approximately 100/150,000 euros for each hospital: for the next six months, totaling 1 million euros.

What goes unseen is the dramatic poverty in which a large part of population in Africa is plummeting. Next to each of you, we want to continue to do our part, close to those most in need.

A heartfelt thanks for what you’ll be able to do and for being with us November 19th in Rome for our Annual meeting. We will be all together to tell, also to Pope Francis, “What you can’t see”. I hug you.

 

Father Dante

 

REGISTRATION AT BIRTH THE RIGHT OF EVERY CHILD

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In Bishoftu, close to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the closing event of the five-day workshop was organised to present the new module on birth registration, which is included in the university and midwifery training curriculum. The new module, developed together with a team of university tutors, is the first of its kind in Ethiopia and will be introduced already in the academic year 2022-2023 in midwifery colleges throughout the country.

This innovation aims to train midwifery professionals, who in turn will sensitise families, on the importance of birth registration at the registry office to improve maternal and child health, aiming at several objectives: ensuring children’s right to identity, working to reach the most disadvantaged communities far from the main health centres and hospitals; raising awareness on the importance of birth registration, sensitising families, so that this takes place close to birth and with initial support from health centres. And again: strengthen the links between the national registration system and the health sector, to make up for the large number of missed registrations by encouraging correct certificate completion and family follow-up.

This important goal is an integral part of the project “Children’s Right to Identity in Oromia”, financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented by AMREF together with Doctors with Africa CUAMM. Many Ethiopian stakeholders collaborated in the development of the project, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the National Association of Midwives, the Ministry of Finance, Herqa (Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency) and Vera (Vital Event Registration Agency).

Thanks to the collaboration of the authorities and organisations involved, at the proposal and with the technical and financial support of CUAMM, this project will in the future also lead to an innovation in the curriculum for midwifery students at Ethiopian colleges. Moreover, the school of nurses and midwives in Wolisso will be involved in the testing of a training course that will train health workers who will help to improve the provision of maternal and child care services at St. Luke’s Hospital in Wolisso, supported by CUAMM.

During the workshop, moderated by Azeb Admassu, a member of the Human Resources Directorate of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, many stakeholders took the floor and expressed their satisfaction with the great achievement so far: improving the training of midwifery professionals and raising awareness of pregnant women and mothers on child health and access to care nationwide.

«Once again, the CUAMM’s strategy of providing technical and financial support to a project aimed at meeting the needs of Ethiopia’s health and education system has proved successful – stressed Riccardo Buson, CUAMM country representative, wishing to continue fruitful cooperation with local partners to improve maternal and child health in the country».

The commitment does not stop and will continue in the coming months to achieve other relevant goals.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION CELEBRATING THE UNION BETWEEN ITALY AND UGANDA

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On Friday 28 October, the Italian Embassy in Uganda has opened a three months long photo “In sickness and in health” at Makerere University, Uganda’s centre of excellence. CUAMM was present along with 10 other Italian NGOs.

The opening ceremony was also attended by Massimiliano Mazzanti, Italian Ambassador to Uganda, and Grace Mary Mugasa, Minister of State for Public Service.

«The exhibition – commented Mazzanti – recognises the historical contribution of eleven Italian NGOs and associations to the Ugandan health sector. Italy and Uganda have had a longstanding relationship that dates back to the early 20th Century, when members of the order of the Comboni Missionaries settled in the Northern areas of the country implementing commendable activities of support to the local communities especially in the areas of health and education».

The aim of the exhibition is to inspire young minds at Makerere University, sharing an established history and future of the union between Italy and Uganda, founded in philanthropic collaboration and partnership.

«Italy is the biggest in supporting health in Uganda – concluded Mazzanti – and this is evidenced with the latest approval of 10 million euros for infrastructural development in Karamoja. NGOs from Italy have been the tools used to achieve Italian commitments in health».

TENDER ANNOUNCEMENT | VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICE

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Doctors with Africa CUAMM Ethiopia is launching the present Local Open Procedure to select a vehicle maintenance and repair service provider.

01 Tender announcement

02 Contract Notice

03 Instruction to participants

Administrative Compliance Grid

Annex-I Tender- Submission-Form

Annex-Ia-_Declaration-of-Hounor

Annex-II-and-III_Specifications and Technical Offer

Annex-IV_Financial offer

Annex-V_Legal Entity

Annex-VI_Financial Identitfication Form

Annex-VII_Contract-Form

Annerx VIII_General-Contract-Conditions

ANNEX IX – General Conditions

ANNEX X – Special Conditions

Checklisat for the tender submission

Evaluation Grid

CUAMM AWARDED DURING THE SAFE MOTHERHOOD CONFERENCE

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CUAMM achieved an important result at the Second National Safe Motherhood Conference: three days of discussion and debate on key issues concerning maternal and child health and efforts to reduce mortality from preventable causes, particularly post-partum haemorrhage, which remains one of the main causes of maternal mortality in the country.

«The recognition of CUAMM – explains Peter Lochoro, Country Representative of Doctors with Africa CUAMM in Uganda – is very energizing to our work and staff. This award says a lot: firstly, that our work is visible and palpable to the population, even if we spend more time doing it than making it obvious; secondly, that our strategy and programmes are working; thirdly, that CUAMM is consolidating its position as a health services organisation for mothers and children in the last mile; and finally, that we are able to take on even greater challenges to improve the health of communities, especially in the most remote and fragile areas. I congratulate the team on a job well done, and I thank the institutions and our donors who made this possible: the Embassy of Ireland, UNICEF, the ELMA Foundation, the Italian Bank Foundations, in a context of support from the Ministry of Health and local district governments».

CUAMM’s support for mothers and children is implemented through a series of projects, strengthening the knowledge and skills of health workers through mentoring, cooperating with neonatal care units. Cuamm is also involved in coordinating surgical camps for the transmission of skills, the provision of equipment, ambulance transport and voucher systems to enable mothers to reach health facilities.

Annual Meeting Program

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Below you can find more details regarding the Annual Meeting!

 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18th 2022 

6 p.m. The Holy Mass will take place at the Altar of the Chair, St. Peter’s Basilica, presided by His Eminence, the Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Dicastery for Evangelization Pro-Prefect.

 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19th 2022

From 7 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. – Reception by CUAMM volunteers and accreditation procedures (you will find “CUAMM” tables for registration and security check) at Piazza Sant’Uffizio in order to proceed into the Paul VI Audience Hall.

9 a.m. – Special Audience with Pope Francis, a time with guests and testimonials from the field.

Participants will receive a recognition device, which will allow access to controls and to the place of the hearing. Everyone else will receive it directly during the accreditation procedure, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. We recommend you to bring water as well as an appropriate clothing for the event.

Sign up now!

THE ESSENTIALS OF HEALTH CARE

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«It was very intense to live and work in a place as remote as Jinka. Being alone totally exposes you to the local culture and allows you to connect deeply with your colleagues. It was an opportunity that really opened my mind. Certainly, the hardest aspect for me was the touch, also in a physical sense, with the experience of death, because I found myself frequently ventilating and giving heart massage to infants and children. We see so many die that would be saved by us; but even in Jinka, if we continued our support, remarkable improvements could be achieved, despite the fewer resources available. “Exposure” to death has, however, taught me to have a more discerning clinical eye, to better assess the actual severity of a patient, and also to scale back what we see in our work in Italy.

In such a special and different context from ours, I was inevitably confronted with cultural and social differences that are also reflected in my work. The Ethiopian specialists doctors are prepared and well disposed to collaborate and to have a confrontation; some nurses, on the other hand, are a little less flexible to accept changes and less attentive to the patients. It has also been a challenge to treat patients from such particular and different ethnic groups. Recourse to traditional care is frequent and this leads to serious health problems for children and adults. In addition, one has to deal with a public healthcare system that is almost totally at the patient’s expense (only infants up to the first month of life and malnourished children are exempt) and, often, families are unable to pay, so they have to renounce treatment. As a doctor accustomed to a different reality, one learns to be more cautious about truly essential treatments and tries to find with the family all possible ways for them to bear the cost of treatment.

CUAMM’s work can be seen, it is tangible, and it is also recognised and valued by the local staff and those who run the hospital. A commitment and presence that has been going on for years. The project “The first 1000 days. Guaranteeing quality health services to mothers and children in the South Omo Zone”, financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented in partnership with Amref and the Children’s Health Centre (CSB).

What goes unseen…

«From this mission I learnt the essentiality of medical care, which is sometimes lost with us. There are basic, unavoidable actions that must always be assessed to establish the criticality of a patient. At the same time, I believe I have transmitted, especially to general practitioners, a more responsible attitude to work and more critical thinking. A concrete example was the management of PICU, the paediatric intensive care unit, on which we always discussed openly, making the necessary decisions together.

The opening of the PICU was a great satisfaction, an excellence in a context such as Jinka. It has only three beds, with monitors and ventilation, at the disposal of the young patients who are carefully looked after 24 hours a day. We have managed to achieve good results. Among the many situations that have occurred and patients we have met, I vividly remember Netsi, a 1-2 year old girl – there, often, the age is not known precisely – who was the first patient admitted to the PICU. She lived in a hut with her mother and her father, who drunkenly knocked over a pot of boiling water, hitting Netsi and burning her over most of her body. Netsi was hospitalised for four weeks: a constant presence in our daily routine. Being the first patient in the PICU and having a major burn, it was also an opportunity for local colleagues to practice caring for such a delicate patient. In addition, the operators had explained to the mother how to play and interact with Netsi, demonstrating how stimulating children, even in pain and suffering, is really important. Within the “The first 1000 days” project, in fact, special attention is given to Early Childhood Development, the cognitive, physical, linguistic, motor, social and emotional development activities of the child in the first years of life. There is a space dedicated to this and, every now and then, outside, the workers organise a coffee ceremony, as is the tradition, to make parents aware of the importance of play and interaction with their children, particularly in the treatment of malnutrition. Jinka clearly showed me what healthcare is like in the world. We tend to think that ours, the Western one, is the norm, but it is not. We are the exception and Jinka confronts us with that».

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PINK OCTOBER FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH

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All over the world October is coloured pink to raise awareness in the community, particularly among women, of the importance of prevention in the fight against female cancers, specifically breast and cervical cancer. Doctors with Africa CUAMM is also reinforcing its commitment, participating in this international movement and reminding us how crucial it is to be properly informed and prevented.

According to the World Health Organisation, in 2021 breast cancer became the most common cancer globally, accounting for 12 per cent of all new annual cancer cases worldwide. Furthermore, cervical cancer globally accounts for 6.5 per cent of all female cancers, and more than a third of deaths from this cancer globally occur in sub-Saharan Africa, although the region accounts for only 14 per cent of the world’s female population.

With each passing year in the countries where CUAMM works, more and more people  know that October is an important month. In Mozambique, for example, the health authorities have again mobilised this year to involve communities in awareness-raising and prevention activities. In particular, in the health units where CUAMM promotes the “Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases” project, financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, there is a lot of excitement, and preparations began some time ago. An event has been organised in each of the three regions in which the project promotes its activities – Sofala, Maputo and Zambezia – attended by authorities and the media in order to convince as many women as possible to go for screening. During the day, information leaflets are distributed and activists and nurses gather women into small groups and explain what prevention and treatment consist of.

In the health units, screening activities are intensified to try to reach as many women as possible. Every morning, the nurses organise a special awareness-raising programme and screen all volunteers. The turnout is always very high and the nurses only stop working after all the women, neatly queued up, have been examined.

Today, at the end of the working day in the small rural health centre in Lamego, Sofala Region, a CUAMM nurse came to meet Mrs Julieta, who had visited a short while before. She wanted to thank her. Julieta, 47, had heard community activists talking near her home a few days ago about the importance of screening. Although she had had a pain in her abdomen for some time, it had taken her a long time to decide to go to the health centre. It is not a short walk and there are always many chores to do at home. Eventually she made up her mind and, having arrived at the health centre in Lamego after attending one of the awareness-raising events that the nurses organise in the mornings, all doubts were gone: going to the health centre was the right choice.

«I can’t hide the fact that, on going to the health centre, I was afraid, but after listening to the nurse’s advice, I didn’t hesitate for a moment to get in line for the screening». They found a lesion in her uterus greater than 75 per cent and she will have to go to the hospital in Nhamatanda, 15 kilometres from the health centre.

«The nurses at the health centre have already made the appointment for me and with the savings I have I will take the bus and go to the hospital and then come back here to the health centre to do the follow-up. Despite finding out that I have to have surgery, I am happy. They explained my condition well and I have the possibility of treatment. That’s why I really wanted to say thank you».

Mrs Julieta is one of the many women who have accessed the services offered by the project. Since it began, 87,900 women have been screened, many of them HIV-positive. And thanks to the tireless work of the nurses, 4,270 women have been treated with cryotherapy and 1,950 have been referred to a hospital where they can be observed and treated by specialised medical personnel.

ONLY ONE WAY TO SEE THE FUTURE: DOING PREVENTION TODAY

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Globally, at least 2.2 billion people suffer from near blindness or long-distance visual impairment and among at least one billion of these, visual impairment could be avoided. Almost 90 per cent of visually impaired people live in developing countries, including Uganda. Women also run a higher risk of visual impairment and blindness than men. In Uganda, in particular, 5.9 per cent of the population is visually impaired, or six out of every 100 people, while 144,000 people are completely blind.

This is the picture described by Charles Olaro, the Director of Curative Services at the Ministry of Health on the occasion of World Sight Day, which is celebrated every second Thursday in October to raise awareness of eye care, preventing diseases that can lead to serious disorders or even blindness. In addition to screenings, the anniversary was created to improve access to care for all.

This year, Doctors with Africa CUAMM has commemorated World Sight Day in Kitgum, northern Uganda, by participating in the “Love your eyes” event promoted by the Ugandan Ministry of Health. In fact, since January 2020, CUAMM and Christian Blind Mission (CBM) have been implementing the “ForeSeeing Inclusion” project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), to improve access and quality of inclusive eye care services in communities and health facilities in the Kitgum, Lamwo and Arua districts.

A series of activities were organised to mark the occasion, including the setting up of community eye health stands, radio talk shows, and newspaper inserts, all aimed at raising awareness among the population.

«The eye care stand, which was present for a week at the hospital in Kitgum, thanks to the support of the Ugandan Ministry of Health and local partners, helped bring services closer to the people», emphasised Jackie Kwesiga, National Director of Christian Blind Mission.

Check-ups, treatments and surgeries were offered, with a total of over 1,194 patients visited and 212 surgeries conducted. Of these, 168 were cataract surgeries, 25 excisions and 19 eyelid surgeries. 800 free reading glasses were distributed to young and old.

«I had been unable to read for five years and a few days ago one of my neighbours informed me about the eye camp. So, here I am. I am happy to finally be able to read again, especially the Bible, which I missed so much, thanks to the reading glasses I received for free», said 84-year-old Okumu Discon.

According to Uganda’s 2014 national census, Northern Uganda is home to 32% of all individuals with visual impairment and 75% avoidable blindness. The poor coverage of basic and secondary eye care services has largely contributed to this dramatic figure. The situation worsened further in 2017 due to the increase of South Sudanese refugees in the area and the resulting overcrowding of existing eye care facilities. This explains the decision to celebrate Sight Day in Kitgum.

Some of the common causes of blindness in the country are allergies, cataracts, diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy, and presbyopia. Charles Olaro urged mothers and fathers to vaccinate their children, have regular eye check-ups at the nearest health centre, protect their eyes from direct sunlight, eat a balanced diet, avoid applying herbs to the eyes, read and watch TV with the light on, and avoid self-medication.

Finally, he launched the National Strategic Plan for Eye Health (2021/22 – 2025/26), which will help health professionals to assess, treat and refer eye patients correctly. In order to increase awareness of good eye health and promote the prevention of blindness.

 

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