Our global network of #wardoctorheroes is at the heart of everything the foundation strives to achieve, and we are proud to introduce Dr Lucien Wasingya Lusenge from Uganda in this latest instalment.

When Lucien was just 3 weeks old, he contracted a febrile disease and his health deteriorated rapidly. His family were beginning to lose hope, and he was referred to another hospital 20km away.

It was here that a volunteer from MSF correctly diagnosed Lucien and successfully treated him in under a week. Lucien’s father told him this story dozens of times as he was growing up, inspiring Lucien to become a surgeon and dedicate his own life to saving others.

In April of 2018, the Foundation awarded Lucien a scholarship to come to London and attend our specialised course, Surgical Training for the Austere Environment (STAE). The course greatly boosted Lucien’s confidence in dealing with trauma patients and improved his decision-making skills for surgical emergencies. Lucien said, “After only five days, I was able to gain the confidence to handle surgical, obstetric and gynaecological emergencies with limited equipment and resources.”

The skills learned on this training course have enabled Lucien to save the lives of countless people, including many victims of traffic collisions on Masaka Road, a dangerous stretch of highway that claims 200-300 lives annually.

In September, Lucien was able to journey to London once again to present his research, and paid David Nott a visit, to thank him in person.

 

 

The courage, dedication, and selflessness of doctors like Lucien inspires everything that the Foundation works for, but we cannot do it alone. You can help us to train even more surgeons and save more lives by donating today, and spreading awareness.