The Need

Road accidents are a major health issue in Uganda

Uganda is perhaps the last country in the world where you want to be involved in a traffic accident. The chances of you suffering a traumatic bone injury are high on Uganda’s roads is high, but the chances of you receiving care from a trained orthopaedic surgeon are low.

Uganda has the second-highest rate of road accidents in the world after Ethiopia (according to the Uganda Road Sector Support Initiative). On average, there are 61 accidents and 9 deaths every day on Uganda's roads, which are in such a poor state that the locals once fished out of the potholes in protest. Road accidents are a major health issue in Uganda.

Orthopaedic trauma from road accidents has widespread impact

From our extensive work in Uganda, we know that there is a huge volume of patients in Kampala (the nation’s capital) in particular, and in Uganda in general, who arrive at area hospitals in various states of orthopedic trauma. They arrive with fractures, both open and closed. These fractures cause significant disability with the patient if they go untreated, but they also have a significant negative impact on the patient’s family, both financially and with the children's schooling. Children of accident victims are often not in school for the initial period, and some never return to school because they must care for their injured parent.

Medical resources to treat orthopaedic trauma patients are inadequate

Among Uganda’s population of around 30 million, there are only 30 orthopedic surgeons. (Canada, by way of contrast, with a similar population size, has 1,500 orthopaedic surgeons). In addition, Uganda has nearly the same population as Canada, but only one tertiary hospital with the capacity to manage complex orthopaedic trauma injuries. Mulago Hospital is located in Kampala. The hospital has three donated C-arms (mobile image intensifier systems that can be used to treat orthopaedic trauma patients), but the hospital staff have not been trained to use them.

The Project

The goal of this project is to bring Dr. Edward Kironde to Hamilton from Uganda for a six-month Clinical Fellowship in Orthopedic Trauma Care at McMaster University. This clinical fellowship involves the close collaboration of faculty and physicians at McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences and area hospitals, including those of Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Dr. Kironde earned his Masters of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery at Uganda’s Makerere University in January 2015. Dr. Kironde has a general level of knowledge about the evaluation and treatment of skeletal trauma, but he lacks the skills required to care for the seriously injured.

While at McMaster, Dr. Kironde will specialize in orthopaedic traumatology, the greatest need in his country among orthopaedic surgeons. During his time at McMaster, Dr. Kironde will:

1. Learn modern orthopaedic trauma care through direct care of seriously injured patients
2. Learn how to use orthopaedic implants (such as femoral nails and external fixation)
3. Learn how to operate mobile image intensifier systems (C-arms), which are used to assess the complexity of fractures, guide surgical procedures, and verify the results of surgical repair
4. Discuss patient cases with trauma-trained orthopaedic surgeons

Who Will Benefit from Your Generosity

1. The direct beneficiary of this project is Dr. Kironde. With your financial support, he will learn best practices in the treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries. His training will put him in the best possible position to treat the high volume of patients in Uganda who suffer traumatic musculoskeletal injuries.
2. The indirect beneficiaries of this project are the dozens of doctors in Uganda that Dr. Kironde will pass his knowledge on to, and the thousands of patients in Uganda who will receive better treatment and experience more positive outcomes as a result of his training at McMaster through the International Outreach Program. All made possible with your generosity today.
3. Thanks to your generosity, this project will help with the direct delivery of orthopaedic trauma care to patients at Mulago Hospital, the national referral hospital and training hospital for Makerere University. This hospital receives the majority of severely injured people of poor economic status in the country. 
4. With your support, this project will build healthcare capacity in Uganda by increasing the level of expertise in orthopaedic trauma care at Mulago Hospital, which is one of only two orthopaedic training centres in East Africa.

Our Organization

The International Outreach Program (IOP) of St. Joseph’s Health System is a non-profit organization that partners with universities, medical schools and teaching hospitals in countries that need more doctors, particularly more specialists and sub-specialists.

We give medical students and doctors the academic knowledge and clinical skills they need to prevent illness, restore health, save lives—and train other doctors to do the same. Our trainees also acquire leadership, communication, negotiation and teaching skills that help them generate lasting change in their communities and countries.

Please Donate Now

Your donation towards Dr. Edward Kironde's Clinical Fellowship in Orthopedic Trauma Surgery will help Ugandans for decades to come. Please give generously right now using the form below. We will issue you a charitable receipt immediately.

Your donation of $250 funds three days of clinical training.

Your donation of $500 funds a week of clinical training.

Your donation of $1,000 funds two weeks of clinical training.

Your donation of $2,500 funds one month of clinical training.