The Interdisciplinarian

Welcome to a new podcast episode of ‘The Interdisciplinarian.’ Today’s conversation is – and this is no exaggeration – unmissable. It involves the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Nick Laing, a medical doctor originally from New Zealand, but who has been living and working in Northern Uganda for several years. Passionate about the principle of providing healthcare for all, and after – in his words – “seeing the huge numbers of rural citizens in Northern Uganda not covered by either the private or public healthcare system,” Dr. Nick started the OneDay Health project.

OneDay Health maps the healthcare need of underserved populations – specifically, ‘black holes’ with no healthcare centres within a five-kilometre radius – in Northern Uganda, and then strategically sets up healthcare centres in these areas. OneDay Health’s centres are each staffed by a nurse with high-quality training, and are equipped with the resources – both human and material – needed to provide comprehensive primary care to the communities that they serve. So far, these facilities have been shown to be cost-effective, sustainable, and – most importantly – meaningfully capable of caring for and treating sick patients in the places where they live, and when they need care. It is using this pioneering strategy that OneDay Health has and continues to contribute to improved healthcare experiences and health outcomes for people across Northern Uganda.

As a short summary, – or rather, taster – this podcast delves into:

• Dr Nick’s background in medicine and public health, as well as his route to Uganda.
• Why he was motivated to start OneDay Health, as well as what the organisation does, the ins-and-outs of how they do it, and the impact that they have had thus far.
• His perspectives on some of the key challenges Global Health faces today, as well as possible solutions to them (hint: Global Health happens on-the-ground, in the communities it is intended to serve).
• What you as a listener and member of civil society can do to contribute to the health of your fellow humans, whether they live on the same street as you, or in a rural village in a country different to your own.

…And so much more is also covered! Tune in to this episode, you will certainly not regret it.

P.S., Nick tells a story in this podcast giving an example of the effect of a Covid-19 transport lockdown in Northern Uganda on the life of one patient. He mentions an international news article that reported on this story, which you can find here:

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/4/21/children-women-casualties-of-ugandas-coronavirus-transport-ban?fbclid=IwAR050nVTqbNCtD7pQXVh_4LeJ4i2evzuWCnlGew9mPqNLh-agPhCSHUm8h8 

And if you’re curious (as you should be) to find out more about OneDay Health, check out the following links, or contact Dr. Nick at the e-mail address below.

• Website: https://www.onedayhealth.org/
• Facebook page: @OneDayHealthUganda
• Get in contact with OneDay Health via e-mail: [email protected]