I woke up on a gloomy wet morning thinking of Matuwa clinic and wanted to share this song going through my head. Whilst on a visit to Matuwa, Uganda, last month Evelyn our housekeeper was washing clothes and singing at the guest house. The view here is across the Rift Valley towards Kenya, where there are fabulous sunsets. I couldn't resist videoing this moment with her beautiful voice and the scenery around the clinic. Her words mean 'Life is good, we are happy' and I can't help but feel strong emotion when I watch this video.

My wife and I visited 3 clinics in Kenya and Uganda in November/December last year. Matuwa is high up the mountain, quite remote from towns and cities. The clinic here has been using EMR4DW for 18 months and this was a return visit for me. As well as supporting the staff as a doctor, an aim of our visit was to get feedback on EMR4DW to improve the system and take out new backup cards to safeguard the patient data.
At the clinic, there is no internet and often no power. EMR4DW is loaded onto a master laptop, so all the patient data is at risk if this gets damaged. We back up the patient data daily, to protect the patient medical records. It was essential to take new cards for this purpose.
The clinic uses 5 stations:
- to log patients in on arrival
- to do observations/vital measurements (blood pressure, temp etc)
- consultation information
- treatment and pharmacy
- checking patient understanding before they leave (their illness, how to prevent it happening again, how to take their treatment etc.)

These stations are linked to the master laptop via a wifi router. Care for patients has dramatically improved. Imagine going to see your doctor and them having no idea who you are, why you have visited in the past and have no record of previous treatment. It's clear why the staff are totally committed to EMR4DW and never want to return to having no electronic records.
If EMR4DW can work in this remote moutainous setting in Matuwa, Ugangda, we feel it can work anywhere. Now watch the video again!