Not even the COVID-19 pandemic can close the BIG FIX hospital, which has remained open 7 days a week since it first opened on 1 September 2016.
Our exceptionally dedicated veterinary doctors, Lead Dr. Josephine Nabakooza, and Staff Vet Dr. Stellah Nambuya, have not left the BIG FIX premises for more than 40 days and have remained ready to receive patients 24 hours a day at Northern Uganda's only veterinary hospital. Both of the doctors have families who live in Kampala, which is 6 hours away from BIG FIX in Gulu, and have not seen their families for more than 2 months.
After Ugandan President Museveni ordered that essential workers had to either reside at their workplaces or be sent home, we were forced to send two staff members home (with pay) because they were single parents. Earlier this month, our veterinary assistant Richard (a 2015 Comfort Dog Project guardian) asked to be allowed to return to work because he didn't want to leave the doctors short-handed to care for patients.
Our Guesthouse Caretaker, Brenda, has also remained and is cooking lunch and dinner for the staff, since the doctors cannot leave the premises.
Since the lockdown in Uganda, more than 100 dog and cats in need of critical services have been brought to the hospital and many have been admitted for treatment. These patients have suffered from tick fever, Parvo virus, poisoning, dental emergencies, and fractures. If not for BIG FIX hospital, and our devoted staff, these poor animals would have been left to suffer and possibly die without any assistance, compounding the grief and trauma to their guardians.
Just as human health care workers deserve huge praise, respect, and recognition during this pandemic, so do the devoted veterinary professionals who have sacrificed so much to continue to care for the world's animals in need. All of us at BIG FIX are immensely proud of our staff and the work they are doing every day to make the lives of animals in Northern Uganda better.
Our exceptionally dedicated veterinary doctors, Lead Dr. Josephine Nabakooza, and Staff Vet Dr. Stellah Nambuya, have not left the BIG FIX premises for more than 40 days and have remained ready to receive patients 24 hours a day at Northern Uganda's only veterinary hospital. Both of the doctors have families who live in Kampala, which is 6 hours away from BIG FIX in Gulu, and have not seen their families for more than 2 months.
After Ugandan President Museveni ordered that essential workers had to either reside at their workplaces or be sent home, we were forced to send two staff members home (with pay) because they were single parents. Earlier this month, our veterinary assistant Richard (a 2015 Comfort Dog Project guardian) asked to be allowed to return to work because he didn't want to leave the doctors short-handed to care for patients.
Our Guesthouse Caretaker, Brenda, has also remained and is cooking lunch and dinner for the staff, since the doctors cannot leave the premises.
Since the lockdown in Uganda, more than 100 dog and cats in need of critical services have been brought to the hospital and many have been admitted for treatment. These patients have suffered from tick fever, Parvo virus, poisoning, dental emergencies, and fractures. If not for BIG FIX hospital, and our devoted staff, these poor animals would have been left to suffer and possibly die without any assistance, compounding the grief and trauma to their guardians.
Just as human health care workers deserve huge praise, respect, and recognition during this pandemic, so do the devoted veterinary professionals who have sacrificed so much to continue to care for the world's animals in need. All of us at BIG FIX are immensely proud of our staff and the work they are doing every day to make the lives of animals in Northern Uganda better.