A small town is located on the border of South Sudan and Uganda. It has an ill equipped hospital where the hundreds of thousands of refugees in the border crisis seek medical and surgical care. This is where Doctor Neil Browning has retired to. A vascular surgeon, he has retrained as an orthopaedic surgeon to assist thousands of people with many injuries. He described to me people with terrible fractures that were sent away or just treated with bed rest for months. He described an operating theatre without instruments, autoclave, X ray facilities, drapes, swabs….even the basic supplies. We discussed his wish list. A C arm X ray machine is critically required. It will allow fractures to be treated under X ray control. If we can procure a donation of one of these machines the wider wish list will be provided by Donations in Kind. (DIK). As our Club is a DIK Inc member this opportunity falls into place seamlessly. All of the items are in stock and ready to ship. After knowing this most desperate situation and opportunity, our Club has pledged $1000 towards the cost of freight and will also be the Club to secure a District International Foundation Grant. This will enable a further $2500 funding towards the freight.Sophie Cochrane, who is a member of The Alfred MHU Committee, and a tireless humanitarian, is the instigator of the project. She has fundraised $4000 towards this project already.
It would be so encouraging if our Club would assist in packing the shipping container when the C arm is sourced.
CALL TO ACTION please try to reach all your contacts to secure a C Arm X ray machine
Also, after the goods reach Moyo Hospital there will be the requirement to further train nurses in infection control and other systems. A Vocational Training Team would be the perfect vehicle for this. Our Club perfectly placed to provide this. The Moyo Hospital International Project of RCMS is an exciting project on so many levels. Please contact me if you feel you can contribute or for further information.
Bronwyn Stephens International Chair