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[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_link_target="_self" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column_text]“My first meeting with Africa took place in high school, when our Religion professor, Don Tullio Contiero shared his experience with us after returning from his missions in Uganda, showing us photos of children, women and villages.
I have always known since I was a child that I wanted to become a doctor, perhaps not to become an urologist surgeon. With this vision I cultivated a dream during my youth: to collaborate in the two large African hospitals, which represented the best of the ideal of helping others. One was the dr. Albert Schweitzer’s Lambarenè hospital and the other the Father Ambrosoli hospital in Kalongo.
Years later, having become a more experienced surgeon, the seed tossed by Don Contiero has paid off. Thanks to favorable meetings, I left in 1997 with other colleagues for a mission in Sololo, a remote village in Kenya at the border with Ethiopia. Thereafter other missions for Africa followed, until I met Dr. Giovanna Ambrosoli in Bologna and I proposed myself as an urologist for a mission in Kalongo. Here I understood that the cycle of destiny was fulfilled again, giving me the opportunity to work in one of the hospitals of Africa, the myth of my adolescence. And in this dream of mine I also involved my friend and colleague radiologist Anastasia (called Wanda).
After we retired, we decided to do this experience in Uganda, in the village where many years ago an Italian, Father Giuseppe Ambrosoli, had built this small hospital, developed in the following years, and still functioning despite 20 years of civil war.
The concept of hospitalization, at Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital, is quite broad, as the patient is not hospitalized alone, but is accompanied by the whole family who remains close to him all the time. Therefore one could see entire families arriving on foot from the neighbouring villages, accompanying their relative and then staying in the hospital in specific areas prepared for them, where they can cook and provide for the needs of the family, including personal hygiene and laundry.
In the morning, in fact, coloured cloths were hanging on the branches of the trees or on the large bushes to dry in the sun, showing the industriousness of the women, always ready to support their family in any situation. The united family faces the disease together with the patient, who thus receives support and encouragement, and does not feel alone on the healing path. During the day we walked several times in the open areas where the relatives of the patients stayed, feeling observed by curious or smiling eyes, sometimes absent, which immediately animated at the greeting in their language Acholi: “Apoio”. Sometimes we thought we were disturbing their lives, not understanding perfectly what they wanted to communicate, nor their mentality, feeling the embarrassment of being privileged in this world, unlike them.
We inquired about the habits of the village and the role of women in the community. The improvement of human conditions, in any corner of the globe, requires a long time and a change in mentality. It must necessarily start with respect for the woman, which is still missing in this geographical area, as in others. It will be precisely the women who will carry ahead the Country, pledging to eradicate corruption and social injustice, working as they have always done, to raise children and for the economy of the family and therefore of the population.
This confidence in women was fuelled by seeing the health-care behaviour of female doctors and nurses.
Observing the young Ugandan doctor in the front row at 8:30 in the morning, after the night spent on guard, ready and active at the meeting on the use of antibiotics, bode well. In addition to her good will, she showed that she understood the difficulties and obstacles of daily work, which however did not frighten her: the pride in her eyes was the winning weapon!”[/vc_column_text][divider line_type="No Line" custom_height="50"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_link_target="_self" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid" bg_image_animation="none"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_link_target="_self" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_gallery type="flexslider_style" images="7801,7797,7811,7813" onclick="link_no"][/vc_column][/vc_row]
