May 15, 2016 | Summer 2016

To further clarify our perceptions of Sierra Leonean health care and the local knowledge and treatment of diabetes, one of our group members visited a public hospital today with professors and World Hope employees. After speaking with the hospital’s Medical Superintendent, the head of the hospital, it was clear that the Medical Superintendent was very excited about Ukweli’s purpose and goals and sees a definite need for the project. The hospital currently uses ten parameter urinalysis test strips to diagnose diabetes because blood glucose test strips cost 15,000 Leones (about $2.50), which is too expensive for most to afford; our strips can save the hospitals and patients money, making diabetes screening more accessible and potentially allow more people with diabetes to eventually be diagnosed. This change would be extremely beneficial because most people are currently only diagnosed once they come to the hospital in a coma or with other life threatening diabetes-associated complications.

In addition, we compiled the information gathered yesterday in order to obtain more readily available data, which could be used in our future discussion course and in development of later study and article papers.

With the help of Professor Sarah Ritter, we focused on progressing and advancing on our Global Health Technology Conference (GHTC) papers. We also worked on redesigning our venture’s posters intending to be able to reprint colored posters by Sunday in order to receive feedback on them by Wednesday. These posters will later be hung in the hospitals so that it can catch the attention of patients, enabling them to know more information about diabetes screening. Our translator, Hassan, has a friend with diabetes. We plan to meet Hassan’s friend tomorrow in order to more clearly understand the daily life of an individual with diabetes. We also hope to visit a weekly diabetes association meeting that Hassan’s friend is a part of.