Makeshift Splint : Aloi, Uganda.
No2 of my brief stories from the field:
This patient was brought to our clinic in Aloi following a road accident. The roads to the IDP (internally displaced persons) camp were unpaved and deeply potholed (worse than Harrogate!). He had come off his bike quite close to the camp and a kindly passerby stopped and transported him to us.
His leg was clearly broken and obviously painful. Maartje (Doc) and I assessed the limbs nerve and blood supply, gave some pain relief and I cobbled together the splint and elevation box you see here in preparation for the transfer back to Lira and the ministry of health run hospital.
Doctors Without Borders have an amazing logistics team and system but we don’t always have everything we might need immediately to hand. It is essential to be able to improvise. This splint was made from a cardboard box and rested in the cutout section of a second box to provide both stability and elevation for the 45 min journey back to Lira.
YOU can help keep MSF supplied with essential equipment (and cardboard boxes) by donating via my fundraising page HERE