This past Sunday there was a horrific attack at a church in Iganga just a few miles away from Musana due to a land dispute between the church and community members. During service, a group of men attacked members in the congregation with machetes, killing two people and injuring many others. After the attack, the victims were rushed to the main hospital in Iganga for treatment. One of the injured was Musa Kabale. Musa was slashed multiple times on the head and on his body with the machetes and was losing blood rapidly. The main hospital did not have blood to do a transfusion so Musa was rushed to Musana Community Health Center (MCHC). Our amazing medical team worked tirelessly to stitch up all the wounds and give him the blood that saved his life. There is no question that Musa would have died without the efforts of our doctors, clinicians, and nurses. As the only income earner in the family, Musa would have left two wives and ten children with no means to provide for themselves.

Since MCHC began receiving blood from the national blood bank in January, we have become the main referral facility in the district for patients needing blood transfusions. We have been able to save over 120 lives! Unfortunately, we have also had to turn many patients away due to limited blood supply and space for proper care. Thankfully, in June, we will begin constructing the in-patient wing and operating theater that will enable us to provide more community members access to blood, as well as many other life-saving services!