Tuesday was a busy day! Heading out early in the morning, we went to Mulago Hospital, Uganda’s only public government–funded hospital. While services here are free of charge to those patients who arrive, we quickly learned about the challenges and difficulties in actually providing treatment free of charge.

After touring the maternity ward with Dr. Fatouma, a biochemist researcher as well as an obstetrics and gynecology specialist, we were immediately faced with long lines of patients, waiting sometimes the entire day just to be seen. We learned about the fact that mothers coming to deliver must bring their own supplies with them, including bed-sheets, gauze, gloves and more.

Afterwards, we were taken to the PIDC (Pediatric Infectious Disease Center), where HIV/AIDS treatment and counseling is provided monthly for those children in the program. We had the opportunity to speak with one of the patients, Peter, a 14-year old boy who is HIV positive and who campaigns for the organization Kick Out AIDS. He spoke with us about his experience growing up HIV positive and his hopes to end all stigmatism related to HIV. The time spent at the PIDC speaking with Peter and Nurse Sesse lead to some heated discussion among the Ugandan and American participants about allowing HIV positive children to study in regular schools – should they be in school with non-infected children? Should the other students be made aware of the HIV positive students’ status? There were a range of opinions that we were all able to learn from.

Before leaving Mulago Hospital, we were lead in a discussion on reproductive health in Uganda by Ms. Sara Gutin, a Rotary scholar living in Uganda and conducting research on the subject. We heard about her experiences trying to promote family planning among women and men, her work at the Mulago hospital, and more. Many interesting questions followed and the discussions continued over lunch after we left the hospital.



In the afternoon, participants worked together to solve a public health crisis simulation which the staff had designed. Students played various roles in various governments, media, and health organizations, having to cope with a storm and flood that created chaos on the fictitious African island of Lutoro.



Students were continually faced with various crises including an influx of refugees from a neighboring island also affected by the flood, a cholera outbreak, a destruction of roads and complete separation between the Northern and Southern island, and much more. Students worked together with great ambition as they attempted to tackle the ever-growing crises, though they faced many difficulties and obstacles, many of which reflected the challenges that would arise in a real situation of the sort.