Bugembe Prison

Monday the medical team, with the much needed assistance of Jared, Jeff, Edgar, Robyn, Paul, Gideon, and Peter, visited the prisoners of Bugembe Prison. We all met in the courtyard area which consisted of stone ground and walls with different locked barred rooms all around. The prisoners lined up and sat on the ground as Paul introduced all of us to the prisoners and why we have come to see them. 100lb bags of beans, sugar, and rice were provided for prisoner use. Also bars of bathing soap and laundry soap were provided for prisoner use. They were very excited when Paul informed them these items where for their use and he will be coming back to ask the prisoners if they were able to use the soap and eat the food provided. Which is very sad in this country to have to worry that when you want something to be used a certain way the money, food, and clothing may not always be used for its intended purpose. This was the first time a medical team and Paul had visited the prison. We saw various injuries and illnesses that we were able to treat with our medications on hand. One man is very very sick with PCP which is a type on pneumonia that is acquired and opportunistic when a person is infected with HIV. Another man probably has a broken ankle and needed an x-ray that the team will pay for if the prison will allow him to be transported to a hospital. The man with PCP is in dire need of a hospital and has shocked us all by even still being able to stand. Paul treated the prisoners to sliced pinapple that Gideon and Peter were so gracious to cut up for them. Their diets are very poor and may eat once and if they are lucky twice a day. So the pineapple, fresh pineapple that is, was a very big treat. They were very appreciative of our work and treating them with our medicine and time. Some of the prisoners are there for being out after 8pm and not having money to bribe the arresting officer. Others have stopped under a shade tree that an officer did not like and said a woman was loitering. You can go to jail and receive no justice for the smallest thing here. So these people may not have even committed any real crime at all. They were very pleasant and respectful, we did not have any fear of them. We just hope that the medications we provided are actually administered and used the way they are intended!