Omare Boniface Atandi — Perspectives of a Medical Student
Omare Boniface Atandi- Bugando Medical Student
Born in a poor family with no hopes, I grew up in one of the local villages in the country, which was faced with natural disasters. Life would seen to be normal even though people were dying of diseases that can be cured, but because of lack of doctors and personnel, dying was a daily song.
When I was 9 years old there was an outbreak of cholera, an epidemic that is due to contamination of fecal matter and people in my village died from this. Humanity was in no man’s mind because of lack of personnel — i.e., doctors or nurses who could identify the disaster and save lives.
I decided to become a doctor when I was 10 years old, knowing that the chance to become one was zero because of financial problems. What hurt me most was when I watched close family members die because of lack of access to treatment. You might not understand, but the truth is there was no doctor or hospital facility to assist them.
My neighbor died while delivering on the roadside next to our house while I was watching her without help. People doing traditional circumcision, too, both girls and boys without any knowledge on what they were doing would bleed to death. I remember seeing my moth put cow dung as treatment after locally cutting an umbilical cord from a baby! And you can imagine what most of the outcomes were. But neither you nor I can blame them!
After performing well in my advanced secondary school, I was like the hero in my village community, but remember I knew nothing about health except the concepts I had learnt in biology and chemistry. I was supposed to join university to do medicine (MD), but it was absolutely impossible because money was needed to pay fees, accommodation and food. I was really hurt, I remember spending around six months in deep stress trying to look for sources of fees, but it was all in vain.
I got a person in the city who told me he would only help me study clinical medicine (diploma in medicine) in order to help people in my village which I did study for 3 years in one of the colleges. After that, I became a clinical officer and started helping people greatly in my village and even in the next seven villages because I was the only clinical officer (not doctor) for more than 5,000 people.
I was moved to a mission hospital built by the Netherlands government in coordination with the Catholic Church where I worked for quite some time.
But the problem is there were so many diseases that I didn’t know just because I wasn’t a fully qualified doctor.
After I heard of the Touch Foundation in Weill Bugando University College of Health Sciences, I applied and really prayed for God to help me to be chosen.
To me, it was a miracle. It was the first time in my life to see a miracle. I was admitted to Weill Bugando University and up to now I am through my first year. To my village and local mission hospital, it’s a celebration and during this holiday vacation I am going back to continue treating them.
I wish that you all could come and see what you have done to us. We are now an asset to our communities and even to the whole country.
This is just a summary of my story, it’s too long, and I have photos that will make you know the complete story.
Presently, because of your contribution I am studying comfortably and I see a future working back in my home village and improving Tanzania.