NML Issue 9
NMLTT
2021
Protect.
Invest.
Together.
5
The Soroti A-Team
Photo credit: Dr, Claire Nakubulwa
3. What is your most significant achievement to date? •
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Whenever I see my patients getting better, I feel a sense of satisfaction and joy. That is my most outstanding achievement; seeing my patients recover. Sometimes we get patients to come to the brink of death, and as a nurse, you do all you can just to get them through the day. So, seeing a patient recover brings me joy and is an achievement. This recent admission challenged me. I was the nurse on duty when they came into the hospital. We thought a referral might be the best option, but the mother was poor. She did not have money to go to Mulago, so as hospital staff, we had to collect money to send them to Mulago until we were successful. However, I was told that they had returned to Soroti, and I felt so bad. It was tough seeing the other baby struggling to breathe as the other twin was dead. Every time I would sleep, I saw the image of this baby struggling to breathe. I told my colleagues, including the surgeons, that we needed to operate on this baby. I discuss freely with the surgeons, and we have a good working relationship. I was thrilled when my colleagues agreed that we should operate on the twins. This, I can say, has been one of my most outstanding achievements. We decided to do something about it. Another achievement I feel was working at Soroti Hospital during the War. I was working in theatre. Operations were endless due to emergencies due to gunshots. We would work all day without lunch and not even realise that the day is gone.
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