The Patient: Sacrifice, genius, and greed in Uganda?s healthcare system

by Olive Kobusingye

The Patient is the story of Ugandan doctors and their patients through the decades. It?s the story of mostly young enthusiastic medical students becoming doctors, and choosing their paths in a corrupt and impoverished world where their own needs, wellbeing, and sanity, compete with the needs of their patients. It is the story of a hospital badly in need of healing, a health care system that is designed to fail, and a country whose continuing existence is proof that resilient and subservient people can survive exploitation and abuse for a long time. It is the story of a society coming unstuck at the seams, of leaders blinded by power and greed, and of health workers sacrificing their lives to help their patients. It is the story of the patient.

230 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2019

Reviews

[Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quick to add this to my reading list when It was released .I have followed some of the authors work in Ugandan healthcare being a doctor myself and was eager to read her book

As a doctor who trained at Makerere and has practiced in Uganda,much of what is described in this book is not new . I have lived and seen first hand the suffering of patients in the public hospitals and the frustrations of colleagues (myself included) as we struggle to strike a balance between giving a service and thriving (but mostly surviving ) in a broken system

I found this book impeccably well written. The constant switch between conversations by different characters in the book and the authors narration was initially difficult to adjust to but I progressively got accustomed to it .All this tied together with the past-to-present story telling of the journey of a patient (Kweesi) and doctor (Karungi) tied up quite nicely. It was a fully engaging journey as a reader learning about the history of the Ugandan health system with illustrations based on the oldest hospital and medical school in the country .

I could think of so many people who would benefit from reading this book, to appreciate where they fit in this story as far as their contributions to the larger dysfunctional system that we are all a part of ..be it a nurse,doctor,medical student ,patient ,policy maker or Ugandan citizen .

If we ever needed one ,this is as good as any a wake up call to make changes . Our lives depend on it ...surely

[Henon Ataryeba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect writing. A peek into the reality faced by health workers and patients in Uganda.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Patient provided invaluable insights into the health system of Uganda from the 1960s to the present day. Kobusingye mixes data and documents with stories of everyday Uganda patients. The larger analysis of the decline of their Uganda health care system and corruption of the government is frustrating, but throughout the resilience of the Uganda health care professionals provides a beacon of hope.

[Josephine Olok · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it hard to read this book without feeling frustrated and angry at the failures of the government to put in place a functioning and well resourced health system. Greed and corruption it seems are the only beneficiaries of the Ugandan tax payer and foreign aid. Only the dedicated, hard working and underpaid health workers stand in the way of the Ugandan patient and death itself. This crisis hasn't just happened, it has been going on for many decades and the author gives justice to the transition from the sixties to the teens. The whole system is being held together by pockets of excellence and our honourable health workers. All praise to the genius and resilience of these people and of the Ugandan patient and their families. Oh Uganda.

[Amina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you on a journey they health care system in Uganda has been on. Well written, exhilarating and emotional