Don't throw away your used air casts, they could help set the bones of people in Uganda. In Bermuda every patient who needs an air cast gets a brand new one. Orthopaedic nurse Christine Grant explained that no one locally would want a used one. But that's in Bermuda, in other parts of the world people might welcome the opportunity to have such a device — even second hand.

Mary McCabe a registered physiotherapist who worked in Bermuda for 20 years recognised this. Ms McCabe, now resident in Florida, frequently visits Uganda and has organised to have used casts sent there.With help from the Bermuda Physiotherapy Association and staff at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital fracture clinic, she has begun collecting discarded and unused equipment and will ship these much-needed items to Kakira Hospital in Uganda before the end of the year.

She has visited Kakira Hospital several times. Built by the owners of a sugar plantation to serve the needs of over 6,000 employees and their families, the hospital is staffed by three doctors, a few nurses, one physiotherapist, a radiographer and two lab staff. Despite challenges, including limited supplies of medicines, equipment and other resources, the very dedicated medical professionals do their best to serve the people of Kakira.

On her last visit, Ms McCabe toured various wards at the hospital to get an idea of needed supplies. She saw a 24-year old amputee who had been waiting over a year for a prosthetic leg so he could return home to his family in northern Uganda.

Another young man had burns on 40 percent of his body but there were few dressings available and a shortage of IV drips. A cane cutter had deep lacerations to his thigh but there were no sutures to treat him. There were three isolation wards but no barrier nursing equipment available.

The matron stressed the need for masks, gloves and aprons — anything to help protect the staff from infection. "The medical staff at Kakira and the people they serve will be very grateful for the kind assistance and generosity shown by people in Bermuda," said Ms McCabe. "This equipment will make a tremendous difference to patient care at Kakira. I appreciate the support I have received from everyone involved in this project."

If you would like to assist by donating used casts or other equipment, please contact the fracture clinic at 239-2055 ext. 1408.