Uganda report April 2026

 I was delighted to be accepted to join the team from Poole Africa Link in Lira from 11th–25th April 2026. Witnessing the realities of healthcare in a developing country was eye-opening and an experience I am incredibly grateful for. In this report, I will outline some of my contributions to the team and make suggestions for future teams to build on what we have set in motion. 

When I look back on my pre-trip expectations, they were quite simple: to teach and to be taught. I feel these expectations were more than fulfilled. One of our strengths as a team was the breadth of experience we brought. We had members from both paediatrics, Antoinette and Julia, and emergency medicine, Chloe and Gary, as well as myself as a paediatric emergency department nurse who could work across both areas as needed. Our team phrase quickly became “no man left behind”, and it was fantastic to be part of such a cohesive and supportive team. 

I was the only member of the team who had not been to Lira before, and it was brilliant to be able to start so strongly because the rest of the team already understood the cultural context we were stepping into. This made arranging teaching sessions and lectures much easier than it might otherwise have been. It also meant I felt incredibly supported, as I could see how different the experience would have been without their expertise and guidance. 

On our first day, Monday 13th April, we met everyone we needed to and were able to pull together a timetable relatively quickly, allowing us to utilise our time effectively. Gary suggested building preparation time into the schedule for teaching sessions, which proved both appreciated and necessary. As a result, I felt the sessions we delivered were high quality and highly relevant to the clinical teams receiving them. This was reflected in the positive post-teaching feedback we received from students and medical professionals. 

I delivered sessions on paediatric A–E assessment, performing clinical observations, and multiple newborn life support (“Helping Babies Breathe”) sessions. The Helping Babies Breathe sessions were particularly insightful. Alongside Julia and Antoinette, I helped deliver these sessions to more than 100 clinicians over the two weeks. Initially, I questioned whether hospital-based staff were the right audience, wondering if university students might benefit more. However, the depth and relevance of the questions asked quickly demonstrated how valuable these sessions were for clinicians working on the ground. 

It was inspiring to see how the team adapted to the context they were working in and demonstrated strong clinical acumen by problem-solving scenarios that, due to resource availability, we would rarely encounter in the UK. 

I also felt genuinely valued as part of the team. Before the trip, I had been nervous about the value of my contributions alongside such experienced clinicians. However, I was consistently encouraged and supported, and it quickly became clear that I need not have worried. I soon identified some gaps in basic nursing tasks, such as performing observations and understanding how and why to carry out a urinalysis. While the doctors assisted on ward rounds in NICU, paediatrics, and the Emergency Department, I was able to teach nursing staff and students in these areas. 

I also had the opportunity to provide informal teaching on epilepsy to a medical student in the Emergency Department and was able to direct him to the Ugandan Clinical Guidelines that Antoinette had highlighted during a previous team meeting. I particularly valued this interaction because I had previously worked as an epilepsy specialist nurse and had not fully appreciated how much of that knowledge I still retained. It was rewarding to realise that I could confidently answer his questions and support his learning. 

It was a true privilege to witness the hospital staff using their limited resources to provide life-saving care. One tangible example was a mother who brought her baby to the NICU not breathing. The baby was bundled in her arms, but despite the language barrier it was clear she needed urgent help. I asked her to remove her shoes so she could enter the NICU, as this forms part of the infection control process, and I held the baby while she did so. I looked down and saw that he was cyanotic and making gasping sounds, so I quickly took him to the nurse in charge of NICU. I was then able to witness the team working together to help this baby breathe. He was on CPAP within 20 minutes of arriving in the department and was breathing independently shortly afterwards. Whilst difficult to witness, it was a testament to the strength of the NICU team and made the Helping Babies Breathe teaching we had delivered feel even more relevant. 

It was clear that the charity’s longstanding presence in Lira has built strong rapport and trust both within the referral hospital and at the university. We were recognised at both sites by our burgundy scrubs and warmly welcomed. 

One of the best examples of the rapport between Poole Africa Link, Lira University, and Lira Hospital was Antoinette’s retirement celebration. Clinicians from both the hospital and university attended to celebrate her exceptional contribution to the work PAL has carried out over many years. Antoinette is incredibly humble about her achievements, but the speeches from both Florence and Anna Grace clearly demonstrated the appreciation and respect they have for her work. 

For future teams, it would be valuable to continue working with the nurses in the Emergency Department and paediatric ward on their triage process. There did not appear to be a clear system for escalating which patients should be prioritised based 

on clinical acuity. The treatment board that Gary and Chloe developed over the two weeks will hopefully provide an integral platform on which to build and improve the triage process further.