Janeth is a 30 year-old mother of 3 who walked to IMC Pader from a neighbouring Village, accompanied by her own mother. She had suffered from frequent abdominal pain over the previous 8 years, and had courses of treatment in various places that sometimes helped her for short periods. These bouts would sometimes last for days or weeks, and would sometimes be accompanied by vomiting of large volumes of blood. She often felt dizzy and weak after these bouts, and had difficulty with working and with looking after her children.
She was worried that she might have something even more serious than ulcers, as her problem had kept recurring over the years, and got much worse each time she was pregnant.
The Clinical Officer at IMC Pader diagnosed severe peptic ulcer disease, due to Helicobacter infection, and prescribed a course of antibiotics and acid suppressant drugs. This treatment, when prescribed and taken correctly, usually results in long -term, and sometimes permanent, cure.
When Janeth returned for review a week later her symptoms had greatly improved, and it is likely that she can look forward to long-term relief from her symptoms. Peptic ulcer disease is common in Uganda, and causes a lot of preventable suffering as well as occasional life-threatening complications such as major bleeding and perforation. The drugs that are required for effective treatment are widely available, however the condition tends to be ineffectively treated because of a combination of factors, including poor clinical skills, and lack of funding for complete courses of medication.
IMF has helped Janeth by providing the essential combination of clinical competence and correct medication.
