Santino is a four year old boy from Pader. His parents are small scale farmers. Santino is the second of six children in his family. One day while they were in the farm digging, they heard a scream coming from their hut. They ran home and found Santino’s hand stuck in the small three stone fire place in their kitchen. They were told that the boys had a small fight over a mango and one of them pushed him into the fire.
Santino’s parents poured water on his hand to cool it down and rushed him to the Health Centre. At the health centre they were told to find some money and take him to a referral hospital for further management. Unfortunately they did not have any money to go to hospital so they resorted to herbal medicine for his treatment.
The young boys hand healed with severe contractures leaving it permanently clenched in a fist.
One day Santino’s father met one of the IMC staff who referred him to Hope Ward. Santino’s father had never been to Kampala and could not speak or understand common languages spoken in the ‘big city’. The IMC staff in Pader put him on a bus with written directions in hope that they would find a boda rider who could transport them from the bus stage to the hospital. Staff at Hope Ward and IMC Pader breathed a big sigh of relief when he finally arrived. They took a big risk just to find some help for the young boy.
Santino was admitted on Hope Ward to begin a series of surgeries that will release his fingers so he can use his hand again. His father said that he is now hopeful that his son will be fine again, especially because he has seen children with very complex conditions being assisted on the ward.
