FWAAAAAH!!!

A letter to the blog editor by a concerned Acute Care Advocate

If you are Ugandan or know something about how we communicate, then you will understand why I have taken time to actually blog about this conversation. If you are not familiar with some of our #SoUg (So Ugandan) words you will definitely learn one here.

Definitions of Key Words relevant to this post

The Author: An Emergency Medicine Registrar with a lot of Passion for Acute Care.

The Pharmacist: A Pharmacist with no knowledge of Acute Care.

Setting: A tertiary hospital in a country with no functional Acute Care system. 

Emergency Medicine:  IFEM Definition of Emergency Medicine- Emergency medicine is a field of practice based on the knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of episodic undifferentiated physical and behavioural disorders; it further encompasses an understanding of the development of prehospital and in hospital emergency medical systems and the skills necessary for this development.

Fwaaah: So many contextual meanings ranging from diarrhea to cosmic sounds made by the universe ( I just leaned this one). In Uganda, however, it means to do something without any thought into what you are doing carelessly and without any insight into the implications of your actions. The more “A’s” in the word, the stronger the emphasis. So, Fwaaaaaah is worse that Fwah!!

Sometime last week:

Cruising like I usually do in the corridors of Mulago (or any hospital for that matter), I was stopped by someone calling me by my Surname!!  That is official-implication: Must stop immediately and respond!!

Pharmacist: Hello “Surname”

Me: Hello (trying to flip through names and faces in my mind. No Results- but then I am abit of an extrovert, will figure out name and place as we chat).

…then the usual Ugandan banter: too hot, too cold, rainy, lost weight, gained weight, tired, too many sick people etc… 

Pharmacist: So, what are you doing now?

Me: With all the pride I can muster “Emergency Medicine!!””

Pharmacist: Clearly not impressed. What is that?

Me: Acute Care medicine. I am training to be able to effectively manage all Emergencies across all specialties in Medicine.

Pharmacist: scoffs!! Hmmm… Some of you people are now doing Courses Fwaaaaaah!! How will that help us?

Me: You must have never had an emergency or known someone with one? That is the specialty that will change our health statistics!!

Pharmacist: well….. okay!! Clearly not convinced.

I have to run help with a patient in casualty so I cant stay long. On the way, I am furiously flipping pages in my mind!!

·         Page 1: Advocacy

·         Page 2: Advocacy

·         Page 3: Advocacy

·         Page ……. ADVOCACY!!

I have spent a good number of hours since that conversation, finding out what people think about the specialty of Emergency Medicine in Uganda.

In Part 2 of this Blog post, find out what Ugandans (Healthworkers and the public) think about Acute Care in Our country.

On my part I believe Acute Care is the change that Uganda and Africa needs!! It is what will change our Health statistics.

The Author is Affiliated with the African Federation for Emergency Medicine

Supporting Acute Care Across Africa

http://www.afem.info/