Malaria Doesn ’t Stop This Nurse in Uganda

April 24, 2017Victoria treats a lot of malaria cases. Today, she ' s both nurse and patient.As a young girl in primary school, Nangobi Victoria admired the smart uniforms the nurses in her community wore. She could see herself in one.  As she completed her secondary education, Victoria began to consider nursing as a career. She liked the idea of delivering health services, of helping people in her community get well. So she enrolled in nursing school. She started as an enrolled nurse and later upgraded her training to become a nursing officer.Now she ’s the assistant in-charge at Busowobi Health Centre III, which serves a subcounty of about 20,000 people in Iganga District, Uganda. She says about 70 clients come to the health center on an average day, 80 if it’s busy. Victoria lives a bumpyboda boda (or motorcycle taxi) ride away, about five kilometers down the road in Iganga town. When she comes to work in the morning, the first thing she does is greet all her clients, and then she begins health education and treatment.Malaria in Iganga DistrictVictoria sees a lot of malaria cases.Uganda ’s Ministry of Health reports that malaria is the leading cause of death in the country, accounting for over 27% of deaths. And the prevalence of malaria in children in Victoria’s region is 53%—far above the national average of 30%.Malaria is the leading cause of death in Uganda, accounting for over 27% of deaths.One of the risk factors for malaria is poverty. More than half of ch...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Source Type: news