I am Dr. Mbaseege Kabona Anna, a Ugandan Family Physician working with UINCD, under the PEN-Plus clinic at Nakaseke General Hospital, Uganda. I hold a Medicine (MMed) degree in Family Medicine and Community Practice from Makerere University. I am passionate about delivering holistic healthcare to people living with chronic diseases especially Sickle Cell Disease.

My study is titled ‘Understanding the emotional impact caused by the death of a peer on patients with sickle cell disease at pen-plus clinics in Uganda’. It aims to explore the perceptions, emotional responses and support needs of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) following the death of a peer at PEN-Plus clinics in Uganda. Mortality rates in SCD patients are still relatively higher than the general population and due to the chronicity of the disease, patients form bonds thus can get distressed when their peer dies. This is a phenomenological study and the findings will be used to improve the care provided to patients with SCD in Uganda and the world at large after the death of a peer