News

Dr. Peter Mugisha, who as a specialist dermatologist at the Skin Clinic was largely responsible for training the resident physicians, dies at the age of 38 of viral pneumonia following a COVID-19 infection. The national coronavirus task force seizes the body and does not permit a funeral service for the burial in Kampala. He leaves behind a gap that can hardly be filled. Obituary for Dr. Peter Mugisha.

The following account comes from Peter’s friend and colleague Dr. Edward Ogwang, who runs a dermatology practice in Kampala: “There was no ceremony for Peter's burial. The national taskforce brought his body and straight away buried him next to his late father and brother. At their home here in Kampala there was just his sister Esther and a cousin. I arrived a little late but still found few members of the taskforce from Mbarara...”.
On 13 September an online memorial service was held as a Zoom meeting, attended by the family, friends, former classmates and colleagues.

At the general assembly of the “International Society of Dermatology in the Tropics e.V.” in Dresden, it is resolved to found a Uganda working group. At the same time, it is resolved to dissolve the association “Skin Health for Africa – Gesunde Haut für Afrika e.V.”. The lawyer Bernd Broich from Cologne supports the association in all legal questions concerning the dissolution. After the one-year waiting period has been observed, the association’s assets will be transferred to the “International Society of Dermatology in the Tropics e.V.”.

After much back and forth, the company TTM finally receives an import permit from the Ugandan state for the donated equipment. In September the shipment arrives safely at the Skin Clinic.

On the occasion of closing his dermatology practice, Dr. Rainer Voigt from Waldshut donates numerous devices and materials for the Skin Clinic, including a Melag autoclave, a WIRA lamp, numerous surgical instruments, a UV comb and an oxygen cylinder. Dr. El Gammal collects everything in the Black Forest and stores it temporarily at her home in Siegen. In addition, there is a donation of about 100 doctors’ coats from the Ev. Jung-Stilling-Krankenhaus Siegen and a Waldmann magnifying lamp financed by the association. In February everything is collected by TTM Technologie Transfer Marburg e.V., which has been commissioned to transport it to Uganda.

Dr. Claudia El Gammal works at the Skin Clinic for three weeks and supports Dr. Grace Mulyowa and Dr. Peter Mugisha in training the resident physicians. They have succeeded in securing two further examination/treatment rooms for the Skin Clinic, which are currently being vacated. This means that all the rooms on the lower floor of the building are now available for dermatology. One room is to be equipped as a treatment room with the new ultrasound device, the Waldmann UV therapy device and other equipment, and the second is to be set up as a consulting room. Dr. El Gammal again spends a few days in Rushooka with the “Daughters of Divine Charity” and holds dermatology consultations there. Short visit to Dr. Leo Odongo in Kabale.

Four new resident physicians begin their training at the Skin Clinic: Joan Nguma and Shani Deodatus from Tanzania, Nasra Mohamed from Somalia, Aisha Ahmed Hassan from Kenya. This means that eleven aspiring dermatologists are now in training. The Skin Clinic enjoys a good reputation as a training centre throughout East Africa.

Donation of a UVB whole-body therapy unit from the company Waldmann (UV 100 L). Prof. Elke Weisshaar, Heidelberg, organises and finances the transport to Uganda. In May the device is put into operation at the Skin Clinic.

Prof. Jäger organises the transport to Uganda of a used ultrasound device, a Mesaote Megas GPX with a transducer for blood vessels.

Dr. Friedrich Bofinger from Burghausen spends a week in Rushooka with the Daughters of Divine Charity and treats patients with skin diseases there. He also visits Dr. Leo Odongo in Kabale.

Strike by the doctors at the university hospital in Mbarara to fight for better working conditions and salaries.

Visit by Prof. Gerold Jäger to Mbarara.

Assignment of several weeks by Isabelle Rooms from Essen at the Skin-Clinic in Mbarara and visit to Dr. Leo Odongo in Kabale, where she holds dermatology consultations together with him and delivers medicines and materials.

3-week assignment of Dr. Karin Miller-Schaake from Siegen at the Skin-Clinic in Mbarara. Extract from her assignment report: “Fortunately, there are currently six residents in specialist dermatology training at the Skin Clinic: since August 2016 Gladys Aloyo from Gulu/northern Uganda and Jean Marie Vianney from Kigali/Rwanda, since December 2016 Annick Bamurange (Rwanda), Khadija Kombo Hassan (Mombasa/Kenya), Hassan Said and Abdirahim Osman Ahmed (Mogadishu/Somalia). During the consultation hours (approx. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) these six work according to a firmly agreed rotation principle: one takes over the written documentation in the central computer system introduced in January 2017, the other takes the patient’s history, carries out the examination and records the diagnosis, planned/requested investigations and recommended therapies by hand in the ‘book’ the patient has brought along. […] 2 residents are scheduled for any procedures/examinations in the procedure room. The 2 remaining colleagues are observers. This weekly rotating schedule ensures that each of them regularly takes on all functions actively. This seems particularly important for Hassan and Abdirahim, who so far speak only very little English.” Before and after the consultation hours, Dr. Miller-Schaake gives the still very inexperienced resident physicians detailed teaching in dermatological diagnostics and therapy. They are also continuously supervised and trained by Dr. Grace Mulyowa and Dr. Peter Mugisha. She also visits the “Daughters of Divine Charity” in Rushooka and treats patients there; in addition, she visits Dr. Edward Ogwang in Kampala. She brings medicines and materials for Dr. Leo Odongo (see below).

Dr. Leo Odongo moves to the Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, where he begins training as a gynaecologist and obstetrician. In parallel, on one day a week he runs voluntary dermatology consultations in a room that the hospital provides for this purpose.

Despite poor health, Prof. Gerold Jäger again spends several weeks at his former place of work in Mbarara; his support and guidance are still of great importance to the colleagues at the Skin Clinic.

Prof. Dr. med. Elke Weisshaar from Heidelberg visits the Skin Clinic in Mbarara, Dr. Stephen Mirembe in Bushenyi and the sisters of the order in Rushooka. She delivers numerous urgently needed materials that were financed by the association. A quotation from her assignment report about the visit to Dr. Mirembe: “Furthermore, I visited my former visiting physician Steven Mirembe in Bushenyi. It is good that he is starting his own Skin-Clinic there. As I understood it, he currently has only one room and is also working on his own. When I arrived there, he was, in a very impressive manner, teaching at least 40 students in a very small room. Here too I was again impressed by the enthusiasm and passion of the students. None of them minded sitting in such cramped conditions; instead, they listened with open ears.”

Jean Marie Rukanika, Priscille Annick Bamurange, Gladys Aloyo and Kombo Hassan Khadija are admitted as new resident physicians at the Skin Clinic and begin their 3-year training.

3-week assignment of Dr. med. Claudia El Gammal at the Skin Clinic. She also visits the “Daughters of Divine Charity” in Rushooka and holds consultations there for patients with skin diseases for 3 days. Short flying visit to Dr. Edward Ogwang in Kampala and handover of materials for his small dermatology practice.

Installation of a computer in the consulting room and introduction of electronic recording of patient data: in addition to the existing practice of continuous registration in a book and the entries in the exercise books brought along by the patients or on university forms, the following are additionally recorded with the help of a computer program: patient number, name, age, town or village/district, telephone number, medical history and findings, diagnosis, therapy.

Dr. Stephen Mirembe, Dr. Leo Odongo, Dr. Frida Bazirisa and Dr. Edwig Nagabirwa have completed their training and receive their specialist accreditation. Dr. Leo Odongo is taken on as a specialist in dermatology at Mbarara University of Science and Technology and receives a permanent position. Dr. Stephen Mirembe takes up a post at the private university “Kampala International University” in Bushenyi, where he trains medical students. Dr. Frida Bazirisa returns to her home country of Rwanda, where she works as a dermatologist. Dr. Edwig Nagabirwa takes up a position in health administration in Kampala.