For starters let me give a loud applause to the organizers of the carwash fundraiser for Carol. It was a wonderful gesture, and it brought people from various areas together for a common cause. It showed that there is still some ray of light in everyone and together we can achieve things.
However on the day of the fundraiser a thought went through my mind. How about the cancer patient deep down in some random village; who listens to their cries? The person who doesn’t have so many friends to help push for a fundraiser, and all they have is the hopeless belief that they might appear on the list of patients going for Cancer screening to Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. Of course this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. They are usually left lifeless in hospitals, whose conditions are worse with every passing day. Ugandan hospitals constantly run out of oxygen, hospitals with an insufficient number of beds, and on some occasions patients have to buy their own surgical gloves, painkillers before they can proceed for a surgical procedure. Honestly, who still buys painkillers prior to a surgical operation? These are items that should come free of all charges.
Don’t get me wrong, am in support of #SaveCarol. However, how can we promote this venture to benefit all cancer patients in the country? At the #SaveCarol car wash, even I … expected to see the Ministry of Health to make an effort and come out in support of this noble cause, but only the police participated.
I guess the government decided to leave these noble events to the corporate entities as they tirelessly drained the poor common man dry of their taxes. We have had several CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) events in the name of corporate companies showing that they care for society – the Centenary Bank cancer run, the MTN marathon, the Airtel Kabaka run. All these ventures have garnered participation en masse, and I’m guessing money raised in tens of millions, if not hundreds.
Yes the money goes to . However, what if we all decided to divert this money towards the purchase of medical equipment for Mulago? Or setting up rehabilitation centres for street kids? How about setting up proper drainage systems for different town councils, or setting up proper houses for the police or the people in Bududha? Don’t crucify me. It is just an idea. This is because, however much we say the government has done their part or them justifying that they are working, a lot has not been done and very few people care about it. Yet, we all seem to need those services mentioned when we are in dire need.
And that brings me back to the topic of my blog – how do we make a #SaveCarol campaign fruitful for every Ugandan patient so that we don’t have to be so dependent on the government that seems to not care.
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