Funding issues threaten a ministry's answer to malaria in Uganda

Hope Medical Center patient (Photo
 courtesy AMG Uganda)

Uganda (MNN) ― Uganda has the third-highest number of deaths from malaria in Africa. The disease kills more children in the country than HIV/AIDS or war, according to reports from the Uganda Ministry of Health.

  

It is also a country where one person out of every two lives in severe poverty. One out of every four suffers from severe malnutrition. Combined with a poor infrastructure and immense rural poverty, getting help once infected has been very difficult. Due to the growing demand for medical services, AMG Uganda launched the Bethany Medical Center in Igamba and the Hope Medical Center in Bugongi.

AIDS and malaria plague the residents of Igamba and Iganga, including children who are part of the AMG childcare program in Igamba. The Bethany Center is the only medical facility in the area where the poor can receive treatment. It has been gratefully accepted by the community, which allows it also to be a lighthouse for giving out the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.

In Bugongi, the Hope Medical Center provides midwife services and maternity care--the only medical care available for miles around. Since both clinics are staffed and resourced, they provide more than the government clinics. In fact, Bethany took a recent donation of medical equipment this month which will help the team respond to even more needs.

  

However, both facilities operate at a loss of about $350 USD a month. It's clear that closing them is not an option with people's lives at stake, but operating at a deficit drains the resources of other work in the country. For AMG Uganda, the clinics are an integral part of demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ to the communities by providing education, medical care, and spiritual development.

This need is becoming more urgent as the bite of food shortages takes hold in the Horn of Africa. AMG is asking for financial help through outright gifts or through the sponsorship of one of the 270 children being served. Click here for details.