Written by Dr. Gregory Bartha
Eriakim Mulekwa is currently the program director of the Ugandan ministry I am assisting. He was born and raised in a small village fairly near the Cross Clinic. He attended government schools which were reasonably good at the time when he was a student. The teachers were dedicated and interested in the students which is not the case at the present.
click here to read morePastor Mubbi Simon Peter is the director of the projects I have been developing and supporting in Uganda. In addition to the Cross Clinic this work includes a secondary school, 3 primary schools, a vocational training school, an orphanage, and a scholarship program.
Simon Peter was raised by his grandmother from age one and one half by his grandmother. His father brought another woman into the home, and his mother left. This was a very dangerous time in Uganda when the Lord’s Resistance Army was engaged in violent and disruptive activities in Northern Uganda. Simon Peter and his grandmother had to keep moving around to find safe places to stay. Simon Peter got as far as the tenth grade in school when he had to drop out because of lack of funds, He worked for about two years as a gardener in a nearby town for a family who treated him roughly. Finally the abuse became too much for him. He packed up his belongings and started to walk back to his grandmother’s home.
click here to read moreWritten by Dr. Gregory Bartha
In times past Ugandan children did not want to go to school, and their parents preferred to keep them at home. The picture has totally changed. Now the children love to attend classes, and their parents are supportive. The realize that education is the best way to rise out of poverty.
In Uganda there are many government primary and secondary schools which charge little or no tuition. The problem is that the quality of instruction is generally poor. Teachers are not well supervised, and teaching supplies are inadequate. Some of the better performing government schools do charge tuition. Families are often asked to pay for supplies. Most students and parents prefer private schools. Tuition at these schools, while low by U.S. standards, is not affordable by most village families. And there is very little help for students wishing to study at the university level.
click here to read moreWritten by Dr. Gregory Bartha
Conditions have significantly deteriorated in Uganda in the past 2 years largely because of the COVID pandemic. No one knows how many people have died as a result of the disease since testing is very limited, and very sick people usually die at home. There is no easy access to high level hospital care. Most of the deaths are in the elderly and in the chronically ill
click here to read moreWritten by Dr. Gregory Bartha
“Dogs are a waste of time.” I heard this comment several times in Uganda. Dogs are ever present in rural Uganda. The are all hounds and look pretty much the same – medium size, short haired, and thin – probably all descended from a common ancestor. Most people do not keep dogs as pets but may use them as guards for the homes. They are usually fed scraps and receive little care or attention.
Several years ago a young dog appeared at the clinic. She began to spend most of her days and nights there and became quite friendly. We named her Sunny because she was always so bright and alert, and everyone at the clinic were very fond of her. About a year later she gave birth to two pups. The pregnancy was very hard on her. She lost quite a bit of weight and was weak. We called on the vet to check on her and the pups. The vet gave Sunny an antibiotic shot and some medicine for parasites. The pups were also given shots. Sunny improved, but the pups were soon found dead. They seemed to be active and healthy, and their death was puzzling.
click here to read moreWritten by Dr. Gregory Bartha
Joel age 10 came to the Cross Clinic in the spring of this year.He complained of weakness and shortness of breath. He was small for his age and had a loud heart murmur. His lips and fingernails had a bluish color. The ends of his fingers were clubbed, meaning they were enlarged with downward sloping of the nails like an upside down spoon. Also he was frequently found squatting when he was short of breath.
click here to read moreAfter growing up in Midland, Texas, Dr. Louis Zinterhofer moved to South Bend, Indiana, where he attended the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Louis Zinterhofer graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1963 and subsequently pursued his medical degree at the Tulane University School of Medicine. In addition to his education at Tulane, Dr. Louis Zinterhofer completed internships, externships, and residencies at the Aerospace Medicine Branch of NASA, Ochsner Foundation Hospital Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and the University of California University Hospital. Following his post-graduate training, Dr. Louis Zinterhofer served in the Medical Corps of the United States Air Force at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology from 1971 to 1973. In his final year of service, Dr. Louis Zinterhofer was awarded the Certificate of Meritorious Service. While working in the military, Dr. Louis Zinterhofer earned board certification in anatomic and clinical pathology.
Since 1973, Dr. Louis Zinterhofer has practiced as a pathologist at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey.
Lou Zinterhofer & family at home by poolhouse
1996
(Wife Susan & her mother, our kids Eric & Nina with their spouses and four grandchildren)
For me, at this stage of my life, this says it all.
All the best,
Lou
Written by Dr. Gregory Bartha
Here are pictures of two children suffering from cancer. The were initially seen and evaluated at the Cross Clinic then referred to the cancer center in Kampala. Both have been operated.
Suzan is 8 years old and presented with a bulging left eye. Scans revealed a tumor behind the eye pushing it forward. The tumor was successfully removed, but there is still prominence of the eye. There are changes in the structure of the skull which will require additional surgery to correct. The most common eye tumor in children is called retinoblastoma. The prognosis is good with over 90% 5 year survival. Surgery is the basic treatment. Radiation and chemotherapy can be useful in difficult cases.
The other child Alupo Gracious is 2 years old. She had a tumor called ependymoma at the base of the brain. It was compressing her cerebellum and blocking drainage of fluid from around the brain. The surgery was difficult. She is going to be left with some neurological damage. The prognosis for this type of tumor is about 80% 5year survival. In this case the location of the tumor will result in a poorer outcome.
We have seen a number of children with cancer at the Cross Clinic. The most common types of malignancies we have seen are lymphoma, cancer of the kidney and liver, and tumors of the bone (osteogenic sarcoma). The prognosis for these tumors is generally good, much better than the results of the most common adult cancers such as lung, breast, colon, and pancreas.
Some generous people in Midland have contributed to a fund which will help pay for treatment of these children with cancer. The Cross Clinic hopes to continue to assist in the care and treatment of these children. Each one is deserving of our best efforts.
If you are able to donate, please send all tax deductible donations to:
First Presbyterian Church
800 West Texas St.
Midland, TX 79701
Please include: Dr. Bartha Uganda Fund in the memo
Written by Dr. Gregory Bartha
A new operating room, or theater as it is called in Uganda, was opened and dedicated at the Cross Clinic on September 9 of this year (2021). The medical and administrative staff of the clinic, the District Health Officer, the District Commissioner, and other local officials were present.
The facility is well constructed and supplied. There are two operating beds, an anesthesia machine, sterilizer,oxygen, running water, and a prep room for the surgeons. There is a post op area and a dedicated nursing staff to care for the patients. It is the best equipped theater in the general area. The surgeons working there are graduates of Ugandan medical schools and are well trained. I have financially assisted several of these physicians in their medical education.
The local officials were very impressed with the new theater and indicated that they may give some financial support in the future though this is doubtful. Currently most of the surgeries performed are for hernias, hemorrhoids, abscesses, and superficial tumors. We hope to be able soon to perform hysterectomies, treatment for osteomyelitis and complicated bone fractures, and cataracts. These services will be of great benefit for people in a wide area. We also plan to invite surgeons from the U.S. to come and volunteer their services at the facility.
I will stress that the theater was largely funded by generous Midlanders in cooperation with 1st Presbyterian Church of Midland.
Tax Deductible Donations to support Dr. Bartha and the Cross Clinic can be mailed to:
First Presbyterian Church
800 West Texas St.
Midland, TX 79701
Please include: Dr. Bartha Uganda Fund in the memo.
Written by Dr. Gregory Bartha
Another great inspirational figure in African history is Dr. David Livingstone.
He was born in 1813 to a poor Scottish family. At age 10 he had to go to work in a cotton mill ten hours a day, but he attended night school and mastered Latin and Greek. At age 20 he resolved to become a missionary and devote his life to the alleviation of human misery.
He attended college classes in Glasgow frequently walking the seven miles to school and back each day. Later he was accepted by the London Missionary Society. He completed his medical education then studied theology. He wanted to be sent to Asia, but there was political strife in China at that time, and he was posted to South Africa.
click here to read more