Helping Hands Medical Fellowship

The Helping Hands Medical Fellowship (HHMF) is one of GYPA's most successful and longest-running initiatives. HMMF is a program in partnership with an organization called Brit Olam whereby Israeli physicians, counselors, psychologists, nutritionists, and other health experts spend from 2-4 months working in the Kiboga District and Namuwongo, a slum outside of Kampala, Uganda. The purpose of HHMF is to increase education and awareness about how to practice a healthy lifestyle, teach and train local medical practitioners in issues pertaining to public health, reduce stigma and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and improve family planning programs the people in these two areas. Participating physicians also offer necessary care and treatment for general illness and disease.

Starting in August 2008, the Helping Hands Medical Fellowship (HHMF) began a new phase of our important and on-going medical work in Uganda. The project shifted from the slums of Namuwongo, at the edge of Kampala, to 2 hours outside the city, in the rural Kiboga District. Over this past year 4 delegations of 7 doctors and 1 nurse have travelled into the bush to run rural outreach clinics in some of the most remote areas of the district. Living in a simple house near the central hospital, our medical professionals made themselves really part of the everday life of the Kiboga District. In the clinics, our HHMF medical professionals consulted and treated patients with malaria, TB, diarrheal disease, skin rashes, and other infections. In addition, they graduate a group of 17 health workers through the Village Health Team program in which Kiboga district community members learned first aid, prevention of illness, how to examine patients and recognize danger signs, as well as how to do some basic treatments. This new team hopes to go out and teach others in their villages about disease prevention and how to live healthier lives. Another group of 10 youth graduated from the same course in the slums of Namuwongo. Finally, in order to build our cooperation with the local health professionals in the district, the Israeli volunteers worked weekly in the Kiboga District hospital and health centers to assist in consulting and treating patients, and even occasional surgeries. Some of the Israeli volunteers were specialists in gynecology and surgery and were able to teach the local physicans and nurses some new skills. Over the last 4 years, HHMF health professionals have treated over 10,000 Ugandans for illnesses and have save many lives through their efforts while empowering the community to take responsibility for their lives.

Michal Zeituni received her medical degree from Hebrew University/Hadassah Hospital Medical School. While a student, Michal served as the Medical School Student Union CEO and organized programs for medical students to volunteer in hospital departments and on fun days during the holidays for hospitalized children. In addition, she spent one month in a Nepali hospital in Katmandu learning about the country’s medical system and main health issues. Michal is currently specializing in Pediatrics at Carmel Hospital in Haifa. She travelled to Uganda with her husband Ido Molad, an Electrical Engineer who graduated from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) with many skills who really made a great impact on the project and people involved.