She mobilized some of her personal funds to hire a vehicle to take William to one of the government health facilities in the district.
Proscovia Akurut, a medical social worker in Kumi District, in Eastern Uganda; is a heroine who wears no cap or costume. She recently reached out and helped a neighbor who had been abandoned by his family and relatives.
85-year-old, William Ongiriany had been left alone in a tiny, dilapidated house in Kapokina village. He was hungry and needed urgent medical attention. He had lost hearing to his left ear and he looked malnourished that his state was of great concern.
Akurut, reached out and realized that she had to do something about the situation, lest they lose the old man. She mobilized some of her personal funds to hire a vehicle to take William to one of the government health facilities in the district.
“He was basically abandoned. It was long since he had a decent meal, but also looked like he needed urgent medical treatment,” recalls Akurut. “I quickly mobilized transport for him, and we sent him to the hospital. It was also found that his organs were in a bad state.”
William was found to have fluids positioned in his lungs, and that had affected his mobility and general well-being.
After the first visit to hospital, he was still required to continue visiting, for regular assessment. This was going to take a financial toll on Akurut, because of increased transport fares after the partial lockdown had been lifted. But she had already committed herself to the cause of ensuring William gets treatment at the district health facility whenever his appointments were due.
Nevertheless, the good news today is, William can walk and is still recuperating. “Not only does he walk around the village with ease, his breathing has stabilized and so has his health in general” Akurut says.
She continues to send him food, as often as she can and has now started doing the same for the vulnerable widows in the area. “People have gone through so much, this old man’s story is just one of many and I believe that until we are free of this virus and life returns to normal, we must try as much as possible to reach out to those in need.”
By CivSource Team