AFRICOMED, Frenzens: Championing Urology & Orthopaedic Surgeries at Bwindi Hospital
Many people see surgery as a luxury for the rich. However, for the impoverished individuals in rural southwestern Uganda, having access to surgery is a dream come true.
Globally, approximately 5 billion people lack access to surgical care, as reported by the Lancet's Commission on Global Surgery.
The past 20 years, teams of specialists from Switzerland, Germany, and the USA have visited Bwindi to provide specialized urology, orthopaedic, and urogynaecology surgeries to the community, where such services are scarce in the deep villages of the Kanungu district surrounded by the renowned Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi Community Hospital, in collaboration with Dr. Forat’s AFRICOMED, Professor Geissbuhler’s Else-Kroner-Fresenius-Stiftung, and the Frenzens, have combated the scarcity by conducting specialized surgical camps. These camps have enabled individuals from the Hospital's catchment area and the Kigezi sub-region to access highly subsidized or completely free surgical services.
In just the first two months of 2025, BCH has already carried out a urology camp. The two-week January urology camp funded by AFRICOMED assisted numerous men with prostate and urinary tract issues. In October 2024, AFRICOMED conducted an orthopaedic camp. This Swiss-based AFRICOMED team has been visiting Bwindi for the past 12 years for surgical missions.
Maria Nkabuzaranwa, a 65-year-old resident of Nkwenda, Bwindi, benefitted from the October orthopaedic camp when her 11-year-old grandson, Anthony Ashaba, a pupil at Nyanga Parental School, regained the ability to walk. Anthony had been unable to attend school for the third term of the year due to leg problems caused by osteomyelitis.
According to the grandmother, the boy's caregivers delayed seeking care, which could have led to a worse outcome if not for the compassionate health workers at Bwindi Community Hospital. She stated, “By the time we arrived at the hospital, my boy couldn’t walk. They [caregivers] delayed taking him to the hospital. We were fortunate to find the orthopaedic camp in progress. They treated him, and I am hopeful he will recover well.”
Maria also praised the hospital's eQuality local insurance scheme, saying, “We subscribed to eQuality, and the costs have not been as high as at other hospitals. I couldn't afford such services. I know they [hospital] have spent a lot of money.”
“I also witnessed other patients with serious issues who left the hospital walking with the help of crutches,” she added, expressing gratitude for the services of the AFRICOMED team.
As February draws to a close, Bwindi Hospital has been joined by Seth and Megan Frenzen, orthopaedic surgeons from the USA. The Frenzens have been volunteering at BCH since 2009 and, along with a physiotherapist and a German anesthesiologist, Dr. Brown Dieter; they have provided services for over 100 people who have benefited from both surgical and physiotherapy services.
Additionally, BCH staff have been trained to perform these surgeries on regular days, not just during camps. With a local Ugandan orthopaedic surgeon, a general surgeon, and a gynaecologist, BCH is breaking barriers to specialized surgical services for rural and indigenous Batwa communities.
While many people used to travel to urban areas like Kampala for specialized surgeries, Bwindi Community Hospital has changed this narrative by bringing specialists to the people in hard-to-reach areas like the outskirts of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
By Elizabeth Namara
