Birth Injury Camps
Since 2012, CBH has supported Birth Injury Camps championed by Dr. Sr. Priscilla in the Fort Portal region. The Birth injury Camps offer free medical care to the women, covering the surgery and post operative care. More recently, through the Ngonzi Nsa Initiative, four healthcare institutes are working together to increase the number of birth injury camps, providing birth injury reparative surgeries for 224 women since 2021.
How the camps work.
- Community outreach methods are used to raise awareness about the birth injury camps. Examples include local radio announcements as well as announcements provided by community groups and religious institutions. All affected women in the area are welcome to visit the healthcare facility on specific dates for screening. Eligibility is based solely on the nature of the birth injury and need for surgical repair. For many, surgeries are recommended and scheduled. For others, medical attention is provided. Medical attention and advice is also provided for those having issues not related to birth injuries.
- Eligible women arrive on the first day of the camp for intake and final assessments. After surgery, the women receive post operative care until ready for discharge. The camp approach serves two purposes 1) to provide a supportive environment for participants and 2) to allow experienced healthcare providers to gather at one location to provide expert care to many women in need. The Birth Injury Camps are designed to perform reparative surgeries for anywhere from 20 to 40 women over the course of 3-5 days.
Clinic staff greeting participants and their families at a Birth Injury Camp.
Coordination of Care and Training during the Camps
- Through the Ngonzi Nsa Initiative (NNI), Birth Injury Surgical Camps have been championed by Dr. Sr. Priscilla with assistance from the staffs of the four participating health care facilities: St. Therese of Lisieux Rwibaale Health Centre IV; Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale; Our Lady of Good Health Rushoroza Hospital; and Uganda Martyrs Hospital Ibanda.
- Dr. Sr. Priscilla coordinates care during the camps and performs many of the surgeries. An important component of the NNI is training through continuing medical education provided before the camps and through onsite training during the camps for OB/GYN residents and health professionals.
Testimonials from Birth Injury Camps
Testimonials
Testimonals of Restoring Womens’ Dignity
A teenager was forced into sex and became pregnant. The perpetrator denied responsibility for the child. Her baby did not survive. The birth experience resulted in an injury that turned into a fistula. Now this mother and her family are very thankful to God and to Dr. Sr. Priscilla, who operated on her to restore her dignity. The young mother’s beautiful smile has returned. Her father is grateful to see his daughter healthy and looking forward to a better life. As with many of the families, there was no money to pay for such a surgery. They are grateful to the health facility and Sr. Priscilla for providing free care.
A young mother of 4 children called herself the luckiest woman after a successful fistula correction procedure. After a difficult labor, with no medical officer to perform a C-section, she lost her baby one month after delivery. Her kind and loving husband funded a procedure to repair the fistula that was not successful. Fortunately, the couple heard about Sr. Priscilla’s birth injury camps and traveled a long way to Rwibaale for assessment and finally a surgery. Her fistula was successfully repaired by Dr. Sr. Priscilla. This mother stayed at the clinic for recovery and monitoring, as do all camp participants. On the 14th day after surgery, the mother’s urinary catheter was removed, and she was discharged. She was driven home in a clinic vehicle, where she was greeted by her husband, children, mother-in-law, and friends. All were very happy and excited to see her home again in a sound state. They praised God for her successful surgery and the donors who made the camp and free care possible.
Participants receive gifts to celebrate their renewed health and dignity.