Dr. Roy and Dr. Melanie Elfrink, who have served with Mission Doctors in Uganda, Belize, and Peru will be traveling once again to Uganda, this time with a different agenda!
The Elfrinks are performing a vital service for Mission Doctors as they will be visiting the three hospitals in the Diocese of Kabale to determine the current needs and to gather the information that will be useful for doctors preparing to serve here.
Having doctors willing to take several weeks away from home to make this visit is a tremendous contribution to our work as it has been several years since someone from our offices had the opportunity to visit.
Connecting with Bishop Callistus Rubaramira, our Executive Director, Elise Frederick confirmed that they are still hoping to the continued collaboration with additional Mission Doctors who can serve both long and short-term.
The Diocese is in the Southwest of the country, not far from an area where people ‘trek’ with the gorillas. While Uganda is often called “The Pearl of Africa” this area of the country is sometimes compared to Switzerland with the steep hills and terraced plantings. Lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest lake in Africa and is a beautiful place for doctors who are able to get away for a couple of days during their three-year assignments.
There are three hospitals in the Diocese of Kabale. Karoli Lwanga Hospital named for one of the Ugandan Martyrs is also called Nyakibale, in the Rukungiri District. This is the location of the Emergency Room that the Mission Doctors Association helped make possible at the time Dr. William and Mrs. Kate Walsh were serving here. Dr. Mark Bisanzo, then a resident at Harvard had come to work with Dr. Walsh and after completing his residency, he and his wife Sheila returned to help create a program to train nurses in triage.
Saint Francis Hospital Mutolere, commonly referred to as Mutolere Hospital lies in extreme south-western Uganda, close to the International borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and with the Republic of Rwanda. . The hospital serves patients from within Kisoro District and from the neighboring districts of Rukungiri, Kanungu, and Kabale. St. Francis, now a 210-bed capacity hospital, was established in 1957 by the Franciscan Sisters of Breda and is the location where Mission Doctor, Lou Coda and Mrs. Marty Coda serve annually. St Francis Hospital Mutolere
The third hospital, the newest, Our Lady of Good Health is commonly called Rushoroza Health Center is a 62-bed hospital that provides Laboratory services, maternity services, antenatal services, ART clinic, Inpatient department, outpatient department, ultrasound scanning, counseling, and an operating theatre.
By visiting with the administration of each of these hospitals in person, the Elfrinks will be able to learn about how Mission Doctors can best be a partner for their important work.