Training in the management of post-traumatic stress disorder in Uganda

The aims of this study were to establish the feasibility and effectiveness of training Ugandan mental health workers in the management of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on guidelines from the UK National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The Butabika Link is a mental health partnership between the East London Foundation NHS Trust (ELFT) and Butabika National Psychiatric Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, supported by the Tropical Health Education Trust (THET), and based on the recommendations of the Crisp report (Crisp, 2007). The Link has worked on the principle that the most effective partnership between high-income and low- or middle-income countries is through organisations already delivering healthcare, that is, through the support of existing services. Butabika Hospital is a centre of excellence, serving an entire nation of 30 million people, many of them recovering from 20 years of armed conflict that took place mainly in the north of Uganda. In addition, Uganda has received refugees from conflicts in neighbouring states, including Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan and Burundi. The Ugandan Ministry of Health's Strategic Plan (2000) has prioritised post-conflict mental disorders and domestic violence, which is reflected in the vision of the Link's work.