Dia daoibh! My name is Alex and I am a graduate medical student at University College Dublin. As part of my medical training, I will be undertaking clinical research with Hospice Africa in Kampala, Uganda this summer. I am fundraising to support my research and provide vital supplies to Hospice Africa.

Hospice Africa provides palliative care in an area where healthcare is severely underdeveloped and underfunded, making sure that patients can face their illness with dignity.

About Hospice Africa

Hospice Africa was founded by Dr. Anne Merriman (UCD graduate) in 1992 with the goal of providing palliative care to the people of Africa. It has since expanded its service across Uganda, covering the capital city of Kampala and rural areas around Hoime and Mbarara, as well as providing home visits to remote areas, where patients often don't have access to any healthcare workers. Patients receiving palliative care from Hospice Africa are of all ages, from paediatric to geriatric, and have a wide variety of health conditions. Approximately 60% of patients treated by Hospice Africa are HIV/AIDS positive.

Hospice Africa also operates the only manufacturing facility for morphine in all of Uganda, which provides a truly vital medication that is key to palliative care.

About Uganda

Uganda has a population of nearly 50 million people, almost 50% of which are under the age of 14. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with the average salary being less than €300 per month. It has an infant mortality rate that is 15 times higher than that in Ireland. There is only one comprehensive cancer care unit in the entire country (for comparison, Ireland has 8 designated cancer centres for a population of 5 million)

Fundraising Goals

I am fundraising to make this clinical research possible and to provide medical equipment to Hospice Africa and its patients. The research aims to better understand the needs of patients at Hospice Africa and improve the standard of care they receive.