Musoke’s love for children forced her to return home

Mar 02, 2008

JUST when everybody thought she had landed a dream job in a posh workplace, Dr. Philippa Musoke surprised the people who knew her: After working as a doctor in the US for 10 years, the 50-year-old paediatrician abruptly returned home.

By Carol Natukunda

JUST when everybody thought she had landed a dream job in a posh workplace, Dr. Philippa Musoke surprised the people who knew her: After working as a doctor in the US for 10 years, the 50-year-old paediatrician abruptly returned home.

“Something kept telling me I could make a difference just by coming back to work for my country, especially for the children,” says Musoke.

She is something of an oddity. At a time when scores of Ugandan doctors are rushing to pursue careers in developed countries, the passion to serve pulled her in the opposite direction.

Her story speaks volumes about the conflicting pressures faced by the people who make up the health care brain drain. But it also demonstrates that some are willing to sacrifice a great deal to work in their native country.

A mother of one, Musoke remembers aspiring to be a veterinary doctor when she was a child, but later changed her mind. “I thought it would be more satisfying for me to treat and save lives of people than animals and plants; that is why I was determined to excel,” she says.

Musoke graduated from Makerere University with a medical degree in 1981 and in 1985, left Uganda to advance her career in the US. She trained in infectious diseases at Case Western Reserve University and then achieved board certification as a paediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of Louisville Kentucky.

However, memories of children kept beckoning her and in 1995, she returned home. HIV prevalence was high when she left and upon her return, she started treating children living with HIV.

She also got involved in HIV research as an investigator in the John Hopkins University Research Collaboration at Mulago Hospital. Her research interests include; Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission, Paediatric HIV in resource-poor settings and childhood TB.

Things, however, proved to be different when she got back. The contrast between Uganda and America was sharp. Musoke remembers, for instance, that the department had no power, for about three weeks.

“In America, electricity and water have to be there, whatsoever,” she says. Sending an email in Uganda could take hours.

“I wrote an email one day, to my colleague about the provisions we needed for a child who was deteriorating and by the time the email was sent, the child was dead,” Musoke says anxiety darting across her face.

“It was overwhelming; many times, you really want to carry out tests, but there was no equipment,” she says.
Apart from the working conditions, the salary scale also left a lot to be desired.

In fact, Musoke confesses she was contemplating starting a private clinic to back up her salary, even before she landed into the country.

A professional doctor in a developed country could be paid almost four or even more times than what his or her Ugandan counterpart earns a month.
Despite the challenges, Musoke has had no regrets.

“Things are improving; if we were like this in the 1990’s, there is certainly a difference in 2008. Now I send email instantly.

There was a time when antiretroviral treatment was a nightmare, but now, our children have access to it and are living,” she says.

And yet, this is the same woman who does not blame any doctors in the diaspora. “I think it takes boldness, courage or maybe a personal mission. There is a wide gap and that is why many keep there, as much as they would want to come back,” she explains.

Nonetheless, she appeals to doctors abroad to return, if only for a while. “If you have practiced for a while, just come a couple of times and teach the local personnel here,” Musoke says.

She, however, admits, that she is sometimes overwhelmed by the situation of the children. “You need a strong heart to do pediatrics; you can be burnt out when you see them crying or wriggling in pain,” she says.

Call her soft-hearted, but Musoke is doing only what she loves best — easing the pain of the children.

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