Since the year 2001-2002 the Rotary Club of Salerno is committed to the promotion of an humanitarian project in favour of a medical centre in Africa.
The first target was the renovation of the TBC department in the Hospital of Lacor, near the city of Gulu, Northern Uganda.
The Hospital of Lacor, founded in 1961 by Dr. Pietro Corti, Italian, and his wife Dr. Lucille Teasdale, Canadian, thanks to the dedication of the founders and of many volunteers, is the only medical centre able to face the dramatic health emergencies occurring in Northern Uganda.
The renovation of the TBC department of Lacor’s Hospital was accomplished in 2004, thus allowing the resumption of the medical activities in that section of the Hospital. However, from the beginning it was clear to the Rotary Club of Salerno that the Africa Project should not be exhausted with this first step, but should continue expanding its scope to the field of high level medical education of local people. The chance to complete the project was given in 2004 by the institution of the new School of Medicine of Gulu University, with the close collaboration of the University of Naples - Federico II, Italy. The aim of the new School of Medicine was to educating more medical doctors improve the level of medical assistance in the area and to increase the ability to face effectively the social and medical emergencies in that area.
The Rotary Club of Salerno decided to participate to the joint effort of the Gulu and Naples University by signing a separate agreement with the University of Naples Federico II.
The School of Medicine of Gulu is now at its 3d academic year and it is very important in Uganda. The near future still depends on the Italian collaboration in the field of didactic methodology and at cultural, organizative and economical level.

 

The Rotary Club of Salerno, by means of the related Onlus (no profit welfare organisation), with the funds raised by the World Tennis Championship aims to acquire new medical instrumentations for the University of Gulu in order to help creating a fully equipped didactic Laboratory (Medilab), thus granting the students of Medicine an enhanced acquisition of medical knowledge and clinical skills.
This Laboratory will be composed of multiple workstations dedicated to Microscopy, Biochemistry, and Anatomy – Physiology, manikins equipped for different clinical and resuscitation procedures, audiovisual aids, dedicated hardware and software, librarian and telematic aids. These facilities will help the student of Medicine in the process of learning, with lesser disconforts for the patients and with a remarkable saving of humane resources and time for the professors and for the students.