As District Medical Officer my job was to introduce the Asamuk Leper
Camp and the local dispensary to Alan Lennox Boyd, the Secretary of
State for the Colonies, during his visit to Uganda in 1956. The concept of
these camps originated from Dr Brown, the leprologist with the Uganda
government. They were a significant achievement providing quality of life
and care at a time when there was no cure, in a country where leprosy was
rife.
The creation of the Asamuk Leper Camp involved a co-ordinated effort from
the entire district team and included the local chief who would have selected
an area for a leprosy survey. The camp had to be situated in an area with
adequate drinking water and suitable for agriculture and keeping cattle. It
needed to be in proximity of a district medical aid post that could take
responsibility for physical and medical needs.
Every person in that area was recorded and then examined for signs of
leprosy. My job included working with the trained leprologist superintendent,
and a nursing sister from the KumI leprosy hospital, to conduct these
examinations. Extreme cases were referred to the hospital for treatment.
Prior to the camps, people were treated in local dispensaries. These camps
meant that lepers were now able to stay closer to their families, the progress
of their disease could be monitored, although at that stage not halted, and
sufferers could enjoy a measure of independence through farming crops and
herding cattle.
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