News from Lacor Hospital

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NEWS FROM LACOR
JUNE
2013
News from Lacor Hospital
A dream has come true in Uganda
In this issue
"Go and heal the sick with love and compassion" p. 2
Interview with Piero Paul Ocaya
p. 5
News from the Canadian Foundation
p. 8
TEASDALE-CORTI
FOUNDATION
FOR LACOR HOSPITAL
Year IX – n. 3 – June 2013
Bulletin published by Fondazione Piero e
Lucille Corti - Milan (I) and Teasdale-Corti
Foundation - Montréal (CA)
Teasdale-Corti Foundation
8880 Boul. Lacordaire – Saint Léonard
QC - H1R 2B3 (CA) - Tel. +1.514.253.1737
[email protected] - www.teasdalecorti.org
Bulletin for benefactors and friends
interested in keeping abreast
on news from Lacor Hospital and
the Teasdale-Corti Foundation
"Go and heal the sick with love and compassion"
Lacor schools celebrate graduations for the first time
Hundreds gathered at the Lacor School of Nursing on
Friday 19th April to witness the first ever graduation
ceremony as 652 graduates were awarded certificates
and diplomas in Nursing and Laboratory Technology
at a colourful ceremony held on the school of nursing
ground.
The ceremony, presided over by the deputy chairman of
the Education Service Commission Mr. Okot Matthew
Garimoi, was full of joy and ululations from both the
graduates and their parents and guardians who accompanied them to the celebration.
In 40 years, the Nursing school, started in 1973, has been
producing nurses not only for the hospital but also for
the country at large. The Midwifery component was only
introduced in 2012. The Laboratory school started training Laboratory Assistants in 1998. Since the inception of
the schools, no graduation ceremony had taken place and
this was the first hence a historic event indeed.
The programme kicked off in the morning with a mass
celebrated by the Vicar General of the Gulu Archdioceses, Monseigneur Matthew Odong. He welcomed
the congregation disclosing the theme of the day: “Go
and heal the sick with love and compassion”. Students
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performed a traditional bwola dance (an Acholi royal
dance) leading the procession. Then followed the sermon and petitions in different languages catering to the
various tribes present that day: English, Acholi, Alur,
Lunyankole, Runyoro, Sebei, Akaramojong, Swahili,
Alur, Luganda, Jopadhola, Madi, Lango. As the mass
ended and the procession marched out, students performed another interlude of the bwola dance.
The academic procession, headed by the Guest of Honour, hospital directors, tutors and senior nursing officers,
was then ready to march up to the Lacor market guided
by a local brass band. Back at the graduation grounds, the
National, Nurses and Acholi Anthems were sung.
Dr Opira Cyprian, Executive Director, welcomed
the guests and recounted a background history of the
schools. Since the major current challenge for both the
hospital and the schools is dwindling donor funds, he
then informed the congregation that Lacor’s first ever
graduation ceremony would also be its first ever fundraising drive. The hospital was encouraged to raise
funds by a Swiss donor who promised to double whatever amount was raised, up to a maximum of UGX
30M. The drive will run until June 2013.
The Executive Director of Lacor Hospital, Dr. Cyprian Opira,
addressing the graduates.
Guest of honour Mr. Okot Mathew Garimoi addressing the
congregation
After the Principal Tutor’s speech, the fundraising began. The aim is to finance the building and equipment
of a demonstration room with adequate learning and
teaching kits. Some items were auctioned: the portrait
of the Archbishop of Gulu, the portrait of the late Dr.
Lucille Teasdale Corti and the portrait of the late Dr.
Matthew Lukwiya and two she goats. The fundraising
drive closed at 2 p.m. with $ 100 and UGX. 4,423,000,
(approx. USD 2,500) raised.
After the auction, the attention was directed back to the
graduates. The Gulu DHO Dr. Onek P’Awil said in his address that they were the real guests of honour on that day but
afterwards, they would become servants of the patients.
The Gulu District Local Government was represented
by Mr. Okwonga Alfred, councillor V. He thanked the
school for the services it offers to the region and the
country at large.
Hon. Member of Parliament Aol Betty, MP for Gulu
said that MPs are aware of the challenges facing health
service providers and are doing their part to increase
funding to the health sector but it’s a hard and slow
fight. She appealed to health workers to carry on with
their sacrifice and not give up.
Mr. Okot Matthew Garimoi, deputy Chairman of the
Education Service Commission, said he was one of the
first patients to be treated at Lacor Hospital having in-
Group photo with the graduates. On the left, Dr. Martin David Ogwang (Lacor Hospital Institutional Director) and Dr. Odong
Emintone (Lacor Hospital Medical Director).
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jured himself while playing, in 1961. He pointed out
that Nurses and Midwives are helping in achieving the
MDG on health since they are involved in both curative and preventive measures. He applauded Lacor for
being a fabulous hospital by promoting health, reducing morbidity and mortality with good health workers.
Reminding all that the previous day (18/04/13), the
President of Uganda launched "Vision 2040" in which
he said the country is in need of skilled people to drive
it to prosperity. He said that the doctors, nurses, midwives and others form part of that skilled manpower
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required to drive the country to prosperity.
The graduates, 652 students who completed their studies between the years 2006 and 2012, were then finally
awarded their certificates and diplomas. Among them,
24 best performing students were recognised with
awards of certificates of recognitions. To crown the occasion, cakes were cut and served along with snacks for
the now hungry graduates and their parents.
Ms. Okello Caroline and Dr. Odong Emintone Ayella
(Head of Human Resources and Medical Director, Lacor Hospital)
Betty Anyiri, Principal Tutor of the Nursing School, teaching in class. In an interview, she said - I teach my students that we
only close wounds but it's God that heals. I say to them, "God has given you this skill, so do it for humanity. Don't do it for
your tribe, don't do it for your sister, for your parents, do it for humanity". I feel I can transmit this to them because when I
talk you'll hear everybody is quiet. They listen carefully. So I feel I've done something in changing their attitude towards the
patients, the visitors, the students… I'm enjoying the discipline of the students, I don't have problem with that, at all.
Lacor schools: 40 years training health professionals
Foundation
Management and resources
1973 Nursing School
The Nursing, Midwifery and Laboratory training schools belong to Lacor Hospital. Institutions that partner with the hospital and training schools in offering scholarships are UCMB,
Danida, Baylor Uganda and AMREF.
1983
Teaching site for graduates from the University of Makerere
1998
Laboratory School
2003
Teaching campus for Gulu University Medical School
Performance
2011
School of Anaesthesia
2012
Midwifery school
2012
Teaching site for Pharmacy students from the
universities of Makerere/Mbarara
All the schools are doing extremely well with 94% pass. The
exposure to outside facilities (such as Mulago National Referral and Gulu Regional Referral hospitals) contributes to this
result. The teacher-student ratio stood at 1:23 which is only 3
students excess of the required ratio of 1:20.
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Interview with Piero Paul Ocaya
Some staff have been working at Lacor
Hospital for a long time. Besides having
a key role for their expertise and seniority, they have an eye on the future and an
eye on the past. One of them is Piero Paul
Ocaya, Hospital Secretary, who started
working for the hospital in 1993.
Piero Paul, why this name?
Indeed I have received the same question from so many people! Meeting
new visitors, they often confess having expected to meet a mzungu (a
white). The name was given to me by
an Italian priest, Fr. Piero, a friend to
my father.
Tell us shortly about your life. In particular, what
events brought you to the Hospital?
I was born in Acholiland, in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Kitgum. The midwife who attended to me was a Comboni
Sister, Suor Lina Soso. I would later meet her right here
in Lacor once hired! She was a Matron “doubling as a
Treasurer”. I started my pre-primary school in Jinja in
1971 where one of my 7 siblings was posted as a military
officer. This would come to a sudden end with Amin’s
coup, with a dramatic return to Kitgum. Two years later, I resumed studies after winning a scholarship from
Diocesan Education Office. I later joined Nkumba
College of Commerce where I completed my Diploma
course in 1993. I joined Lacor Hospital almost the same
year. I eventually continued and pursued management
course for undergraduate and a master’s degree at Gulu
University. Unfortunately, it was a difficult beginning
as this was the month I lost my mother but I found solace in the team I met from the start. I was introduced by
brother Elio Croce, whom I had already met and closely
known from Kitgum plus Dr. Bruno Corrado who had
also joined the hospital about a year before and who indeed became my mentor. That time, we had also a German lady Ms Annita Schweicart – these were the team
in Administration Office.
What can you recall about Piero and Lucille?
I first met Lucille as a patient in 1984. I was admitted
for a minor operation in my arm for some swelling. I had
already heard a lot about the duo. I was struck by the
“magnetic weight” Dr. Lucille carried around her, the
way she talked and moved. Everyone, staff and patients,
would remain alert to ensure everything is done to her
expectation, especially where patient care is involved.
When they took me to the operation room and having
received a local anesthesia in my right arm, it was tak64
ing the team such a long time to find
a convenient posture to allow for the
smooth operation. Although I had
apparently a good suggestion, fear
would not allow me to say anything.
When I gained courage and whispered to a nurse, Lucille did overhear
me and allowed the nurses to let me
speak my mind. A big relief ! I went
ahead to propose that they should allow me to lie on my belly to get a better position for the intended surgery.
Dr Lucille quickly directed the team
to let me try and this did wonders.
She was so impressed I had never
seen her with a similar smile. After I
joined the hospital almost 10 years on, the memory was
very fresh. This time round we interacted more with Dr.
Piero than Lucille. She was already sickly and often after
return from abroad she would continue concentrating
more with the patients in the OPD department than
in Administration. Dr. Corti , though a pediatrician, was
in many ways more of an economist and a perfectionist,
who saw every resource in terms of an extra utility for the
benefit of the patient in Lacor Hospital. When it came
to concern about patients, it was difficult to predict who
would take the day in the debate between Dr. Piero and
Lucille! But God had surely blessed them with a formula!
One thing they often repeated, “The Patient is the centre of all activities in this hospital”. For Dr. Corti patients
deserved the best services possible and every effort must
be directed to achieving this. If funding was the major
challenge, he was ready to redirect efforts to drum for
support at whatever level. “Piero”, he once told me, during his last years “I feel my health is failing me (referring
to concern of mobilizing funds to support the hospital
activities) but I am not too scared, it is not easy but Dominique will continue the struggle!”
What does your role of Hospital Secretary involve?
Under supervision of the Directors, I play a pro-active,
central role in the governance of the hospital, handling
legal, institutional and property matters. In liaison with
Boards’ Chairpersons and the Executive Directors, I arrange all Board meetings of the hospital, health centres
and schools’ management meetings, workshops etc. I
attend and take minutes of all board and management
meetings and ensure decisions taken in these meetings
are communicated for implementation. I ensure that
the hospital is registered under the NGO Act and all
relevant sections of NGO Act and Tax Acts are implemented throughout the operations of hospital and af-
filiated bodies like the schools and health centres. I am
the custodian of all institutional documents and handle
relationship with central and local government on all
matters outside medical and education.
What changes you see in Lacor since the peace started?
The dawn of peace is already bearing some impacts. With
the camps disbanded and temporary residences around
town more or less reduced, normal life has resumed. In
the hospital, gunshot wounds have been replaced with
injuries relating to snake bites, accidents, mainly from
Bodaboda cyclists and over speeding vehicles. Unfortunately wrangles relating to domestic violence and land
disputes are also competing for their share of reported
injuries. The OPD contacts apparently are on the decline. A positive reason attributed for this is the decline
of malaria due to Indoor Residual Spraying. There is
no longer the crowding in children ward as it used to
be. The other likely reason is that many health facilities
have opened and hence patients have options especially
for less complicated cases, introducing new challenge
to Lacor, which has to handle the more complicated
ones. Free movement of people has also once again introduced Lacor to patients from far and wide including
patients from Southern Sudan, DRC and the other regions of Uganda.
There is more awareness on patient’s rights. Our functional quality improvement committee has established
a lot of activities as a monitoring mechanism including
more regular joint peer support supervisions within the
wards and the health centres. We have recently been blessed with a new performance based project (NU-Health),
which has gone in to reinforce the hospital’s generally accepted quality indicators, monitored on routine basis.
Last April the hospital organized the first ever local
fund-raising to test its ability to raise funds locally,
and a Swiss donor will double the funds raised...
The experience was both challenging and exciting. It
was the type of feeling you experience when you have
the chance to propose to the love of your life. Exciting
because you have had no experience and are not certain
of the outcome, yet you strongly believe it could become
the beginning of that life long relationship. Challenging because however hard, you cannot afford to miss
the opportunity, so you have to dare… As management
we have decided to have micro-fundraising during the
graduation ceremony of Lacor Nursing and Laboratory
school. We already have had some taste of the depth of
the waters. For instance, we realized in the beginning
we were thinking traditionally, as expected usually the
graduation ceremonies attract more of the academic audience. Soon after the graduation, we intend to focus
on the grand first ever local fund raising for the hospital. The plan is to hold major ones in Kampala and
Gulu. We will try to be as involving and as creative as
possible to be able to tap at the experiences near and far.
We are keeping our fingers crossed!
How is the organization of such events carried out?
From this single experience, organizing such big events involves garnering support from all (starting from Board),
awareness creation, total ownership by management and
staff, formation of organizing committees to spearhead
strategies for the event, good level of mobilization and
publication, creativity.
How do you see the future of Lacor Hospital?
I see the hospital continuing to play a significant role in
the contribution to the health service delivery in Uganda and the global community. I see the role of Lacor
being redefined, less towards general hospital services
(although general hospital service will certainly continue to be delivered at reduced magnitude but adequate
to justify the hospital mission) and more towards referral services and incremental specialized services. On
the side of the school, I see the teaching role as well as
research getting a lot of prominence due to forces of
demand (my experience tells me Lacor has continued
growing mainly as a response to demand of services)
from the community. The referral role of the hospital
will continue to be recognized and strengthened.
Are you involved in other activities for the community?
I have been member of executive committees at a Primary and Secondary School. I am also Choir trainer
and a Rotarian. I am a chairperson of the Lacor workers savings and credit cooperative society. However
due to often busy schedules in the hospital, the community roles are getting lesser share of the time.
Do you have a message for our donors?
I wish to sincerely thank our donors for the support to
the hospital, thus far. May God reward you all abundantly. I wish to echo the fact that the mission of this
hospital, to provide quality health care to the needy and
to fight disease and poverty, is so noble and challenging.
The guns have fallen silent and the community is slowly
picking up economically, but it will still take many years,
for the average community member, to be able to meet
the cost of health services. For this group, increasing hospital fees is not an option. In the words of Dr. Corti, such
patients deserve the best health services possible. Every
coin directed to such a noble cause will never be forgotten and go unappreciated. Lacor Hospital remains committed to ensure maximum efficiency, effectiveness and
total accountability for all resources availed for achieving
this noble mission. On behalf of management and from
experience, I can assure you that the support to Lacor Hospital is by far the justifiable venture to be counted upon as
it goes a long way in bringing a big difference in the lives of
many people.
Laura Suardi, Chiara Paccaloni
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NEW CAMPAIGN: BECOME PART OF THE STORY
In one of the last issues of our newsletter, we announced
that our hospital was facing a financial crisis. After almost
thirty years of war that has left the population impoverished, peace has returned to the region, but the emergency aid provided by humanitarian organizations was cut
abruptly when the organizations decided to help in other
conflict zones. The resulting financial shortfall has reached
approximately $1.5 M annually.
To raise awareness about the situation, on April 19 we
launched a campaign called “Become Part of the Story”
supported by our ambassador Marina Orsini. This Facebook
campaign calls on the page visitors to get involved in support of Lacor Hospital. There are three ways to become part
of the story: Save and Give, Organise a fundraising event
and Become a leader.
Students got excited about the idea and quickly started
spreading the message through videos posted on Facebook. Watch the videos featuring students from Collège
Ste-Anne de Lachine, École secondaire Lucille-Teasdale in
Blainville, École secondaire St-Laurent, Faculty of Pharmacy
at Université de Montréal, Concordia University and Stephen Lewis Secondary School in Mississauga. Several fundraising activities that will continue in the coming months
were also organized.
Join us! Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/
videolucille and click "Like."
A big thank you to all the young students for their ideas,
time and commitment.
THE EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING AT SCHOOLS
Once again this year, students and teachers from Quebec
high schools organized several events to support our Foundation.
- During her visit last fall, Dominique Corti presented her
hospital to students from Collège Ste-Anne de Lachine.
After her presentation, the “leaders” agreed to actively
participate in our “Become Part of the Story” Facebook
campaign.
- In December, students from École secondaire St-Laurent
The Teasdale-Corti Foundation
The Teasdale-Corti Foundation is a charitable organization created to contribute to the support of the Lacor Hospital in northern Uganda.
Reg. N. : 890520745RR 0001
Donations
Donations to the Teasdale-Corti Foundation can be
sent by mail to:
Teasdale-Corti Foundation
8880, boul. Lacordaire, St-Léonard,
QC, H1R 2B3 (CA)
or online: www.teasdalecorti.org
attended a potluck organized by professor Samer Kachami. Claude Desjardins, a volunteer physician who had
worked with Doctor Lucille Teasdale at Lacor Hospital,
also gave a conference.
- Students from Collège Jésus Marie de Sillery organized
a campaign called Vide tes tiroirs, apporte tes sous noirs
(Clean out your drawers, bring your pennies). To launch
the campaign, they broadcasted the “Lacor” video in all
classes and organized a flash mob that is available at
http://vimeo.com/65411367
- Students from the leadership program at École secondaire
Lucille-Teasdale in Blainville organized two events: a silent
auction featuring artwork created by plastic arts students,
and a Midi africain (African lunch) during which all students were invited to “Like” our Facebook page Become
Part of the Story. Both activities were a resounding success.
Our heartfelt thanks to all the students and teachers for
their support and energy!
OUR LOYAL PARTNERS
The Fondation Marcelle et Jean Coutu has once again renewed its financial support to the operating costs of the Lacor Hospital. Since three years, the foundation has also been
providing funding for the pharmacy reorganization project.
We are grateful that we can count on these contributions
that make a big difference for the Hospital’s patients.
The Roncalli International Foundation responded favourably to our funding requests for the purchase of medical
equipment for the Lacor Hospital totaling $37,555. With
this amount, we will be able to buy equipment that will allow us to continue offering quality health care to the local
population.
We have gained a new partner this year; the Hillman Medical Education Fund contributed $3,000 to help cover the
costs of the Lacor Hospital staff training. Doctor Elizabeth
Hillman, who currently lives in Newfoundland, is a friend of
the Corti family and has been supporting Lucille Teasdale’s
work for many years.
A big THANK YOU to all our partners!
CONTACT
Filippo Campo - [email protected]
Tel.: +1.514.253.1737
8880, boul. Lacordaire, St-Léonard, QC.
H1R 2B3 (CA)
Translation and revision, our collaborators:
Nikol Kvasnickova
News from Lacor is a bulletin offered to all
who wish to receive news on the Lacor Hospital and
the Teasdale-Corti Foundation. It is published by Fondazione Piero e Lucille Corti (Milan, Italy) and Teasdale-Corti Foundation (Montreal, Canada).