Saved By The Church: Mbula’s Story
Mbula
“When my condition deteriorated, I asked my family to take me to the hospital. I had been sick for four months after trying medicine from the local clinic and traditional herbs, none of which worked. My family disagreed with my going to the hospital; they wanted me to give the herbs more time to work. In the absence of medical attention, I only became weaker and sicker. In fact, I would be dead today if the church had not intervened and rescued me.”
This is the story of Mbula*, a 24-year-old man who lives in Ngorongoro. A year ago, he traveled to Mwanza, north-western Tanzania, to study pharmacy.
“It was a very proud moment for our village. My three friends and I were accepted to study pharmacy at a college in Mwanza. Despite it being 300 miles away from home, everyone was so excited! My friends and I were more like brothers; we had grown up together. Sadly, during my first year at college, I fell sick and after seeing different doctors with no relief, I decided to go back home and be closer to my family. On my way home, I stopped at a clinic close to my village. The doctor told me I had pneumonia and prescribed medication for five days. I went home feeling relieved.”
Unfortunately for Mbula, the medicine did not work. He returned to the clinic, where the doctor gave him more pneumonia medicine, telling him that this medication was much stronger than the one he had before. Two months later, his condition continued to worsen and that's when his family suggested that he start taking traditional herbs again and forget the clinic.
“I took herbs for two months. I was getting sicker and sicker. I was suffering a lot. I had a cough, chest pain and was always tired [fatigue]. I had a fever, sometimes shaking [chills] and had no appetite. That’s when I asked my family to take me to a hospital in the nearby town, but they said I should give the herbs more time to work. When I protested, they upped the number of herbs I took, believing they would eventually work. This was the extent of their mistrust of the care provided in hospitals.”
Finally, Mbula’s neighbors reported the situation to the church.
“The priest came to my home. He could see my condition was dire. He begged my family to let him take me to the hospital, but they refused.”
The priest did not give up. He called FAME’s Social Worker, Kitashu, whom he had known for a long time and informed him of Mbula’s plight. He asked whether FAME could handle such a dire situation if he managed to get him here. The answer was a resounding yes! FAME’s emergency department would be ready to receive him and provide urgent medical intervention.
With this assurance, the priest returned to Mbula’s home, but this time, he decided to talk to his mother alone instead of his whole family.
“The priest told my mother I needed urgent medical help as I had been sick for a long time. He said the church congregants had contributed some money to cover my treatment and that he would provide a car to bring me to FAME. All he asked was that a family member accompany me due to the seriousness of my condition. My mother agreed, but my brothers could not be persuaded. So my old and sickly mother accompanied me herself.”
Mbula arrived at FAME in critical condition. After various tests, he was diagnosed with severe Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease primarily affecting the lungs. He was admitted and isolated in the inpatient ward for six days and started on a combination of antibiotics, which would need to be taken for six months. His adherence to the prescribed treatment plan was crucial for successful TB management and preventing the spread of the disease.
“I am happy to have finished my treatment. It took a long time, but it was worth it! I struggled at the beginning of my treatment as the medicine was very strong and I wasn’t eating much since I had no appetite. But it became better.”
“I am currently teaching at a local school to save money to return to school. I also volunteer at the church as they saved my life and I would like to give back. When I came home from the hospital, the church held a Thanksgiving service in my honor. This made me very happy!”
*The patient's name has been changed to protect his privacy and permission was secured to share his story. The quotes from this interview have been translated from Swahili to English.