What we do

Photo of Whisper's hospital — Whisper's Magical Children's Hospital and Maternity

Some common conditions that we treat

Blood transfusions

Our patients often need blood transfusions, either because they have very low blood count from malaria or malnutrition, or to relieve sickle cell anemia. Without Whisper's care, many of these children would not have survived; blood stocks at Ugandan hospitals can be unreliable.

Burns and scalds

Burns and scalds are common and, perhaps surprisingly, they are one of the more expensive conditions to treat, because of the need to change dressings regularly, sometimes for months. Without Whisper's care, many of these children would not have been properly treated, sometimes needing plastic surgery or treatment for infected wounds.

Malnourished patients

Photo of malnourished child in intensive care — Malnourished child in intensive care

Whisper sees a lot of severely malnourished children. There's a nutritionist on the staff, and a social worker for any needed followup.

Malnutrition is not always caused by poverty; sometimes it's caused by neglect, and a World Bank summary of nutrition in Uganda (PDF) mentions that stunting because of poor diet is fairly common even amongst children of wealthier Ugandans, and is more common than in some other poorer countries.

Maternity department

Photo of sonographer at work — Sonographer in the maternity department

Whisper's maternity department opened in June 2018. It offers ante-natal classes, full 24-hour monitoring before delivery, ultrasound scans and C-sections.

Finances

Hospitals in Uganda are a mix of government hospitals (65), charity hospitals (63) and private hospitals (27). While government hospitals in principle offer many services at no charge, patients do in practice have to pay charges.

Like other charity hospitals, Whisper charges for treatment. When treating children:

The charges are set at a level that most families can afford
We don't turn children away
The charges are flat fees for a full course of treatment or until referral, so that costs are known in advance. When a referral is needed, Whisper may be able to help with transport and costs

Drugs are Whisper's largest expense. Some drugs have special pricing for low-income countries but most everyday drugs do not.