Emergency Medicine Uganda: BY THE TIME...

BY Emergency Medicine Uganda

It has been a while since we posted. Of course a lot has been going on behind the scenes and we will begin the updates pretty soon.

A synopsis: there has been an EMU meeting and of course there have been experiences and trainings.

We leave you with this piece that is too much of a reality. Cannot think of how many times I have read, heard, seen this scenario as a reality around the next corner, in my neigbourhood. Sometimes, it is my friend, my relative etc. And that is part of the reason we hope for a very vibrant and successful EMU.

This is from various sources online, we just repost:

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/mar/08/international-womens-day-fight-better-maternal-health-care-uganda

Mrs Y died while giving birth. It was her fifth delivery. She was not from a far off village but lived in the city itself. She set out on time to go to hospital. But ...

... by the time they had found a vehicle to go to the hospital,
... by the time they struggled to get her an admission card,
... by the time she was admitted,
... by the time her file was made up,
... by the time the midwife was called,
... by the time the midwife finished eating,
... by the time the midwife came,
... by the time the husband went and bought some gloves,
... by the time the midwife examined the woman,
... by the time the bleeding started,
... by the time the doctor was called,
... by the time the doctor could be found,
... by the time the ambulance went to find the doctor,
... by the time the doctor came,
... by the time the husband went to buy drugs, IV set, and drip,
... by the time the husband went out to look for blood bags all round the city,
... by the time the husband found one,
... by the time the husband begged the pharmacist to reduce the prices since he had already spent all his money on swabs, dressings, drugs and fluids,
... by the time the haematologist was called,
... by the time the haematologist came and took blood from the exhausted husband,
... by the time the day and night nurses changed duty,
... by the time the midwife came again,
... by the time the doctor was called,
... by the time the doctor could be found,
... by the time the doctor came,