Two German Students spend one Month at Access

Sonja Spreth and Victoria Pfann are two German medical students from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. They are currently spending one month at ACCESS in Nakaseke as part of their clinical electives.

 

“At the Life Care Center at ACCESS and at Nakaseke Hospital we do ward rounds in the morning with Drs Richard and James. Especially at the maternity ward and the paediatric ward there is lots to see but we also enjoy the male ward and helping with deliveries. Drs Richard and James are great teachers, they explain the procedures and point out the differences to the German health system and clinical care. Contrary to German patients, Ugandan patients often suffer from Malaria, HIV or get into bike accidents. Therefore, we get the unique chance to observe disease patterns that are rare in our country.

Besides clinical work, we get to help with family planning at the Life Care Center and on the outreach at different villages. Also, we conduct research on non-communicable diseases, especially on chronic-kidney disease to identify patients at risk, raise awareness, and help them to cope with their disease, funded by the Else Kroener- Fresenius-Stiftung. On the weekends, ACCESS provides a program for pre-school kids, where we help them with reading, writing and drawing of pictures.

Not only our colleagues and friends at ACCESS but all Ugandans we have met are so kind to us and open up their hearts and minds. We learn so much from you, in every way, and very much hope we can give something back! THANK YOU!