In Uganda, Lund found discrepancies in the living conditions of many Ugandan residents to even the poorest U.S. citizens. According to Lund, Uganda has experienced only mild changes in general medical care since the 1960s due to expansive poverty, underfunded health care initiatives, a high patient density, and high mortality rates.

In a country where HIV/AIDS and malaria receive top medical attention and funding, there are still many orphaned children in Uganda who are suffering from treatable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and dehydration. If gone untreated, these illnesses can become fatal.

When University of Minnesota Physicians pediatrician Troy Lund, M.D., Ph.D., witnessed the challenges facing children across Uganda firsthand, he decided to do something.

“During my first trip to Uganda, I discovered a surprising amount of well-funded labs and research initiatives dedicated to infectious diseases like HIV, AIDS and malaria, but the country severely lacked any research or resources for the some of the most significant causes of childhood mortality which are diarrhea and pneumonia,” Lund said.

As a result, Lund created an organization called the Medicine for Sick Children Foundation. The foundation is an independent program that provides medical education, clinical care and advocacy for suffering children. Since the Foundation’s inception, Lund and others have supplied antibiotics, first aid supplies and pharmaceutical therapies to Uganda.

Putting medication within reach

One of the main components of the foundation’s efforts is a ‘Medicine Cabinet Kit’ program.

Within the program, first aid supplies like those you would find in medical cabinets in American homes are delivered in-person or shipped to orphanages across Uganda. In addition to providing medicine and supplies, the Foundation’s partners in Africa teach the orphanage mothers the proper use of the medicine cabinet supplies and how to follow up on the heath of the orphans.

Lund’s efforts are yielding results. Today, 150 children aged six months-16 years old regularly benefit from his kits.

“We are one of the first organizations to see whether a low-level medical intervention will help these kids. We have developed a metric system to gauge the health status of the orphans before and after our visits,” Lund said.

After a significant period of time, Lund will begin evaluating the health of the orphaned children to see if his foundation’s programs are making a difference.

If they aren’t, Lund has no intention of giving up.

Lund’s hope is for the foundation to continue to grow financially and gain better infrastructure. He would like to expand the organization’s efforts to include other community based projects that focus on providing clean water resources, sending kids to school and building on the ‘Medicine Cabinet Kits’ to incorporate vaccinations for sick children that provide long-term stability.

“There are too many foundations which leave ‘stuff’ in Africa and have no follow up to what they have done. If our efforts aren’t making a measureable impact in preventing childhood mortality, we’ll shift our focus to ensure the foundation does indeed serve its intended purpose – that is to reduce childhood morbidity in the developing world,” he said.

If you’d like more information on the Medicine for Sick Children Foundation please visit www.medicineforsickkids.org or call Troy Lund at (612) 625-4185.

--- Laura Wallenta