MAF partners with Jesus Film Ministries and Medical & Dental Missioners Africa to provide free medical services to residents of Patongo village in northern Uganda’s Agago district.
Adongo Grace beamed with joy.
“We are thankful that Papa has received free treatment!”
On a bicycle, she rode more than ten kilometres to bring her ailing father to receive free treatment. Okot Albino is battling prostate cancer.
The kind of medical assistance Okot received is not readily available in Agago district. When it is, only a handful of residents can afford it.
It is these testimonies that keep Jesus Film Ministries and Medical & Dental Missioners Africa coming back here – and it is through MAF’s free flights that medical professionals can leave their jobs and serve the most vulnerable communities across the country, pro-bono.
“I take these MAF flights to be very important for the body of Christ,” said Pastor Okello Gaspher, the leader of Patongo Community Church. “Because the gospel must reach all places. See how it saves a lot of time for this medical team to help our people!”
The team from Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, arrived in just one and a half hours – avoiding a nine-hour drive that would have limited their ability to treat so many patients.
During the outreach, over 600 people were treated of various ailments. According to emergency medical technician Sarah Nabasirye, a total of 118 people were relieved of pain and sleepless nights when their bad teeth were extracted. A further 89 received optical care, while 139 lab tests were performed.
Eighty-three-year-old Rose Anyeko was one of those blessed by the team. Widowed and hypertensive, Rose lost all her eight children and lives alone – her single grandchild lives in a distant district.
Beside her inability to afford medical treatment, Rose can barely go to hospital because of isolation. This ‘medical camp’ is a blessing to Rose because services were brought close to her home.
Eunice Akidi, 32, suffered a stroke in 2022. During the camp diagnosis, Dr Deo Kisakka was surprised that Eunice was not on medication – in her condition she could suffer another stroke.
“I was tired of the drugs, and I stopped them,” Eunice said. “A friend advised that I was too young to take drugs that treat high blood pressure.”
But after a counselling session with Dr Deo, Eunice became convinced to resume taking her medication.
A large portion of the population in Agago is illiterate, and Sarah believes it is a major cause for poor health.
“Thirty percent of the tests we made turned positive for malaria, as opposed to the last camp when 70% tested positive,” Sarah said. “We attribute this to the health education we made. This time, however, 70% of people had ulcers. We also treated many urinary tract infection cases.
In addition to the provision of medical services, the team shares the Good News of Jesus with all the people to whom they offer treatment.
MAF will soon be flying the medical team to bring help, hope and healing to another region in need: the Lake Victoria islands.
Without access to good health facilities, hundreds of islanders will benefit from these services. And with MAF in Uganda soon to be operating a floatplane, even more islands will benefit from these services.
Lake Victoria has more than 200 islands, but only one airstrip. This makes it difficult for islands without airstrips to receive critical services.
“I love helping these people,” said Sarah. “Whenever we come, I just say, ‘Thank you Lord for the opportunity’.”
