AFRICA/UGANDA - Besides providing medical treatment St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor is also “home” for 5,000 displaced persons and “commuter refugees”

Saturday, 6 November 2004

Rome (Fides Service) - Lacor Hospital in the northern Ugandan district of Gulu founded in 1958 by Comboni missionaries, is the largest private charity hospital in this part of Africa. Directed since 1961 by the Corti family of doctors is it a Ugandan non-profit NGO and it provides health care to anyone in need. With its 474 beds, a staff of 550 doctors, nurses, technicians and management staff it offers a vast range of diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative services.
In 2003 the hospital admitted 33,096 patients, carried out 211,303 examinations and executed 3,797 major operations. More than 63% of the patients, around 21,056, are children under six.
Since 1980 because of the presence of LRA rebel militia in the area Lacor Hospital has faced an emergency situation. Despite kidnapping of staff and repeated sackings, the hospital has never stopped its activity and for long periods it was the only functioning healthcare structure for about three million people.
The hospital also hosts a programme started in 1993 by the Italian Superior Health Institute to fight AIDS which involves training of local personnel and providing HIV tests, counselling, health education and more recently prevention of mother/child transmission of the HIV virus.
Besides its normal service the hospital has learned to care for refugees. Some 1,500 displaced who fled their villages to settle in more protected areas, reside in a camp inside the hospital compound. Besides resident refugees the hospitals also offers nighttime shelter to between 4,000 and 5,000 “commuter refugees”. This service reached its peak in July-August 2002 with about 20,000 people coming every night for shelter. (AP) (6/11/2004 Agenzia Fides; Righe:30; Parole:346)


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