St. Francis Hospital in the far southwest corner of Uganda is located in the village of Mutolere, Kisoro district. Every day local doctors, nurses and staff, together with Mission Doctors like Louis Coda and his daughter Clare Coda, from the United States, take care of patients from near and far, throughout this remote region.  A large well-respected nursing school is also located on hospital grounds.

Like all third world hospitals, St. Francis experiences frequent shortages of medicines and equipment, as well as intermittent electrical outages that make critical oxygen concentrators and incubators inoperable. 

One of the greatest frustrations at this moment is the hospital’s x-ray machine. It is 60 years old, and recently broke down. We just learned that it can no longer be repaired, because the parts simply don’t exist. St. Francis hospital had the only x-ray machine available for over 100 miles in any direction; even the government hospitals do not have them.  So the need is urgent and the x-ray machine is crucial for the level of care that St. Francis Hospital provides to a large geographic area. For example, victims of road accidents, falls from trees, and fires in villages, as well as those with infections extending to the bone, pneumonia, tuberculosis, heart problems and bowel obstructions (some from intestinal parasites) all require x-rays to help in diagnosis and treatment.  

In the past, the hospital has received donated used x-ray machines, Unfortunately, they only tend to work for a short time and then break down, and the hospital becomes a graveyard of broken medical equipment that cannot be properly disposed of or recycled.

So the hospital needs to purchase a new simple x-ray machine that is sturdy and reliable, and can be maintained locally.

The cost is prohibitive for a hospital that struggles to cover its basic operating expenses. St. Francis is planning to sell one of its much needed vehicles to raise a portion of the funds.

Our goal is to raise enough money to cover the entire cost of the machine, including installation and training, an x-ray table, and improved x-ray processing equipment. It will also require improving the structural support and electrical system to allow installation.

With your help, we can raise the $45,000 needed to purchase and install new x-ray equipment that will help the thousands of Ugandan patients who come to St. Francis Hospital every year.