CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda
Encyclopedia
CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda is a specialized children's neurosurgery
hospital in Uganda
. It is a private hospital, owned and operated by CURE International
. The hospital is also a teaching center in pediatric neurosurgery
for Sub-Saharan Africa
.
, in Mbale District
, in Uganda's Eastern Region
. This location is approximately 245 kilometres (152.2 mi), by road, northeast of Kampala
, Uganda's capital city, and largest metropolitan area. The coordinates of the hospital are:01 04 29N, 34 10 19E; (Latitude:1.0746; Longitude:34.1719).
. The hospital is privately owned and charges a fee for its services. However, CCHU serves children with physical disabilities regardless of their ethnic background, religious affiliation or ability to pay. Opened in 2000, the hospital employs 6 doctors, 33 nurses and serves in excess of 7,000 patients annually, performing almost 1,000 operations every year. The children's neurosurgical diseases treated at the hospital include:
CCHU operates a busy outpatient clinic and owns a mobile van that transports sick children from remote areas to the hospital for care and returns them to their home areas after they have been treated.
Program for Advanced Training in Hydrocephalus (iPATH): CCHU trains resident doctors in Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV), a procedure for the treatment of hydrocephalus
, a condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid around the brain. CCHU offers a program to provide training and equipment to establish three new "ETV Centers" each year. iPATH Fellows train at CCHU for three months and upon completion of their training establishes a center for the surgical treatment of hydrocephalus in their own country. CCHU provides approximately $30,000 worth of equipment for each new center. Currently, CCHU has iPATH applicants from Ghana
, Zambia
, Afghanistan
, Rwanda
, Nepal
, Senegal
, Honduras
and Madagascar
. The first iPATH Fellow to graduate from the program practices in western Tanzania
, in a CCHU-aided pediatric neurosurgery center.
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Program of Uganda and East Africa: In collaboration with the West Virginia University School of Medicine
, CCHU established a comprehensive epilepsy
program for Uganda
and Eastern Africa. Started in 2005, the program aims to:
Starting in 2005, two neurosurgeons, Dr. Warf and Dr. Warren Boling of West Virginia University
, performed the first three epilepsy surgeries ever done in the region. The program in ongoing and is being evaluated for further expansion.
Pediatric Neurosurgical Fellowship: With the encouragement and support of international neurosurgical societies, CCHU has established a Fellowship Program for pediatric neurosurgeons. It is the only such program in Sub-Saharan Africa
. Two neurosurgeons per year will study and work at CCHU, to focus their skills on children and to concentrate on a range of afflictions of the brain and central nervous system.
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
hospital in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. It is a private hospital, owned and operated by CURE International
CURE International
CURE International is a nonprofit organization based in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania. CURE's efforts are focused on providing medical care to children suffering primarily from orthopedic conditions. With the mission of healing the sick and proclaiming the kingdom of God, CURE serves a dual purpose in the...
. The hospital is also a teaching center in pediatric neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
for Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
.
Location
The hospital is located in the city of MbaleMbale
Mbale is a city in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municiplal, administrative and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, in Mbale District
Mbale District
Mbale District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after the largest city in the district, Mbale, which also servess as the main administrative and commercial center in the sub-region.-Location:...
, in Uganda's Eastern Region
Eastern Region, Uganda
Eastern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
. This location is approximately 245 kilometres (152.2 mi), by road, northeast of Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda's capital city, and largest metropolitan area. The coordinates of the hospital are:01 04 29N, 34 10 19E; (Latitude:1.0746; Longitude:34.1719).
Overview
The CURE Children's Hospital in Uganda is a specialized neurosurgery children's hospital owned and administered by CURE InternationalCURE International
CURE International is a nonprofit organization based in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania. CURE's efforts are focused on providing medical care to children suffering primarily from orthopedic conditions. With the mission of healing the sick and proclaiming the kingdom of God, CURE serves a dual purpose in the...
. The hospital is privately owned and charges a fee for its services. However, CCHU serves children with physical disabilities regardless of their ethnic background, religious affiliation or ability to pay. Opened in 2000, the hospital employs 6 doctors, 33 nurses and serves in excess of 7,000 patients annually, performing almost 1,000 operations every year. The children's neurosurgical diseases treated at the hospital include:
- HydrocephalusHydrocephalusHydrocephalus , also known as "water in the brain," is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head,...
- Neural tube defectsNeural tube defectsNeural tube defects are one of the most common birth defects, occurring in approximately one in 1,000 live births in the United States. An NTD is an opening in the spinal cord or brain that occurs very early in human development. In the 2nd week of pregnancy called gastrulation, specialized cells...
- Spina bifidaSpina bifidaSpina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
- EpilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
- Brain tumorBrain tumorA brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
s.
CCHU operates a busy outpatient clinic and owns a mobile van that transports sick children from remote areas to the hospital for care and returns them to their home areas after they have been treated.
Training programs
CCHU offers the following training programs in pediatric neurosurgery in collaboration with other stakeholders:Program for Advanced Training in Hydrocephalus (iPATH): CCHU trains resident doctors in Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV), a procedure for the treatment of hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus , also known as "water in the brain," is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head,...
, a condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid around the brain. CCHU offers a program to provide training and equipment to establish three new "ETV Centers" each year. iPATH Fellows train at CCHU for three months and upon completion of their training establishes a center for the surgical treatment of hydrocephalus in their own country. CCHU provides approximately $30,000 worth of equipment for each new center. Currently, CCHU has iPATH applicants from Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The first iPATH Fellow to graduate from the program practices in western Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, in a CCHU-aided pediatric neurosurgery center.
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Program of Uganda and East Africa: In collaboration with the West Virginia University School of Medicine
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, CCHU established a comprehensive epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
program for Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and Eastern Africa. Started in 2005, the program aims to:
- Identify, evaluate and treat Ugandans with epilepsy,
- Train African physicians in the evaluation and treatment of epilepsy, and
- Conduct research on the causes of epilepsy in Africa and best practices for treatment.
Starting in 2005, two neurosurgeons, Dr. Warf and Dr. Warren Boling of West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, performed the first three epilepsy surgeries ever done in the region. The program in ongoing and is being evaluated for further expansion.
Pediatric Neurosurgical Fellowship: With the encouragement and support of international neurosurgical societies, CCHU has established a Fellowship Program for pediatric neurosurgeons. It is the only such program in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
. Two neurosurgeons per year will study and work at CCHU, to focus their skills on children and to concentrate on a range of afflictions of the brain and central nervous system.