Johnmark Ndinawe knows that healing does not start or end in the operating theatre.
Inside the pharmacy – a facility based entirely within EMERGENCY’s hospital in Uganda – Johnmark and the pharmacy team review prescriptions, check medicines and prepare each dose with care. Together with clinicians, they ensure access to the medicines and supplies each child needs before, during and after surgery, from infection prevention to recovery after discharge.
“Every medicine we prepare has a child behind it,” Johnmark tells us.
To him, each pharmacy prescription represents a child waiting to recover, a family hoping to see their child healthy, and a responsibility to ensure the right treatment reaches the right patient, at the right time.
The specialised medicines and supplies needed for paediatric care are not always locally available. In some cases, the pharmacy team work to import medicines needed for only one or two children, but which are essential to their recovery.
“Sometimes we source a medicine for just one child. To some people, it may seem like a small requirement, but for that child and their family, it can make a life-changing difference,” Johnmark explains.
He has seen firsthand how challenging access to medicines can be for families in Uganda, where access to specialised surgical care remains limited and healthcare costs are often out of reach.
Some children have arrived at the hospital after having undergone procedures at other health facilities, yet without access to the essential medicines they needed. As a result, their recovery can slow down or a condition can begin to deteriorate again.
One mother’s experience left a particular mark. Collecting medicines at the pharmacy for her child after discharge, she was overcome with emotion. Normally, she would have struggled to cover the cost of the medicines but the pharmacy visit, like all of EMERGENCY’s work, was provided completely free of charge.
“In that moment, I realised that medicines are about much more than treating an illness,” Johnmark says. “For many families, they mean hope, dignity and the chance for their child to continue healing without having to choose between recovery and what they can afford.”
Every prescription is an essential foundation in a child’s recovery. It supports a child to heal, to return to school, to play.
“This has become more than a job for me. It is the hand of healing that I lend through my work, supporting children who are vulnerable and in need,” Johnmark concludes.
Photo credits – Haruna Musa / EMERGENCY
