Global & Community Health: A perspective on neurologic care at Mulago Hospital in Uganda

Abstract

Looking out from atop Uganda National Mosque's minaret, one of the highest points in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, one sees winding narrow roads turning bright orange with rainfall converging to meet at the mosque in Old Kampala. These roads are congested with a lawless swirl of traffic involving pedestrians, matatus (communal taxis), and boda-bodas (motorbikes). There are women in colorful gomesis (traditional dress in the Buganda kingdom), men in dress shirts, and children selling fruit on the side of the roads, all working under the heat of the equatorial sun to bring life to this beautiful, chaotic city. As a resident in my second year of neurology training, I had the opportunity to visit and participate in care for this Ugandan community. I spent 6 weeks in Kampala on an international elective rotation coordinated through the Yale/Stanford Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholars Program at Mulago Hospital, an experience that enhanced my training as a neurologist and perspective as a clinician.