Ali’s Story: Bulamu Passes 10,000 Surgery Patients Treated Since 2016

Dear Friends & Partners,

In February, Bulamu’s surgery teams provided surgery free of charge to 240 patients in Luwero district in southern Uganda – passing 10,000 total surgery patients treated directly by Bulamu and our partner health workers since 2016. Since 2021, we have treated about 2,500 surgery patients per year, so more than half of these patients have been treated in only the last 3 years. Based on follow up surveys with more than 500 of the patients Bulamu has treated, 70% of our surgery patients waited 3 or more years for the care our teams finally provided.

Since June 2021, Bulamu’s surgery programs have been conducted jointly with the Association of Surgeons of Uganda. ASOU president Prof. Frank Asiimwe said, “Bulamu has the best surgical camp model and is the most formidable partner the Association of Surgeons of Uganda has ever had. Together, we are working side by side to meet surgery patients where they are needing care. This is work we can grow significantly in the years ahead.”

Working with ASOU’s leaders, from Jan. 2022 to May 2023 we treated 536 surgery patients 17 years old or younger (including patients we referred and funded to get care), out of more than 3,000 surgery patients treated during this time.

At a recent ceremony, ASOU honored Bulamu’s team by presenting us with a certificate of appreciation as their leading operating partner for treating low-income patients throughout the country. We are grateful to ASOU’s leaders and members for their partnership and look forward to doing even more together!

Left: 6-year-old Ali suffered from an umbilical hernia for 4 years, until he received surgery from Bulamu’s team in February. “We kept going to the hospital near us, and they kept saying come back again later,” Ali’s grandmother said. Ali’s family are refugees from the DR-Congo, and his grandmother has raised him following the death of one of his parents.

Right: Ali 10 days after surgery. When Bulamu’s team visited him, he was ready to start school for the first time ever, now that he is in good health!