Medical Resident
4-month internship at pediatric ward in Uganda
Silvia’s voice is as delicate as she is, but her determination is that of a young woman who has chosen her path and works hard to ensure that her training, which will lead her to the finish line, is as complete as possible.
This is why, during her fourth year of specialization in pediatrics at the University of Milan, Silvia chose to spend a few months at St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Gulu, northern Uganda.
Lacor, now one of the largest non-profit hospitals in Equatorial Africa, was founded by the Comboni missionaries 65 years ago and then extensively developed by pediatrician Piero Corti and Canadian surgeon Lucille Teasdale. Today, it serves an average of 200,000 patients a year, and up to 9,000 babies are born in its maternity wards.
For over thirty years, the Corti Foundation has supported Lacor Hospital so that it can continue to offer the best possible care to one of the most vulnerable populations on the planet, still plagued, even after decades of civil wars, by the diseases of poverty.
“I expected to learn a lot but I never imagined I would gain so much experience”.
For four months, Silvia worked side by side with Ugandan doctors and nurses, spending several weeks in each Pediatric Unit. “The Children’s Ward has more than one hundred beds,” she recounts. “I was greatly encouraged and supported by Lacor’s pediatric specialist, Dr. Pamella Aol, who advised me to rotate through the different Units. This way, I spent a month in the new neonatology unit, as well as in the malnutrition unit, the oncology unit, and the general pediatrics wards. I saw many premature babies, an endless number of sickle cell anemia cases, and so much, too much, malaria. I became attached to the colleagues who welcomed me with unexpected affection and warmth.”
Silvia speaks of the many premature babies and the many young cancer patients who remain in the pediatric ward even when they are in very critical condition; “Some need to be cared for in the intensive care unit, but there are never enough beds there. Additionally, the pediatric nurses are more accustomed to taking care of them,” she explains.
Silvia painfully recalls the first baby who died in her arms just a few days old, due to congenital malaria.
She talks about running up and down the stairs to the laboratory to get test results or a bag of blood for a life-saving transfusion.
She recounts the children who arrived at the hospital with severe pain crises due to sickle cell anemia.
She speaks of little Tresor, diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, who came from far away with a large mass in his jaw and a swollen belly. Thanks to chemotherapy, Silvia was overjoyed to witness the child’s significant improvement.
She saw the mother of a girl with sickle cell anemia give birth to a newborn and call her from the verandas in front of the maternity ward to proudly show her the baby.
She witnessed everyone’s commitment, the resources that are never enough, and the emergencies that are always too many.
This is why she took action to help ensure financial support for Lacor. “I celebrated my thirtieth birthday in Uganda, and it felt natural, on that occasion, to raise funds to lend a hand. The amount I raised was given to the Corti Foundation, which, in turn, allocates it to Lacor, where there are people far better than me who know the most pressing needs and will know how to manage the donation.”
Thank you, Silvia. From Tresor’s mother, from all the children you met and cared for, and from all the colleagues with whom you shared responsibility and dedication.