Building Skills, Lifesaving Actions: KGA Training & Projects Boost Trauma Care in Uganda’s Healthcare System 

Masaka Regional Referral Hospital Surgical Team department in Skills Lab 

At Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, where trauma teams frequently handle high-pressure emergencies, health workers say the training has transformed how they respond to critical cases. Sr. Monday Beatrice, a senior midwife and TUTATA trainee, said the programme has changed her approach to emergency care. “Before the training, I would rush into the emergency room and do whatever I thought needed to be done. Now, I approach every patient systematically using the TUTATA ABCDE Assessment. It has given me confidence, clarity, and the ability to act quickly and correctly when lives are at stake,” she said. 

A Partnership for Lifesaving Care 

The initiative was led by Dr. Omona Alfonse, Consultant Surgeon and Head of the Emergency Department at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health with funding from Korea Foundation for International Healthcare. TUTATA was developed to address Uganda’s high trauma burden by introducing a structured, locally adapted system inspired by Korea’s trauma care model, KTAT. The programme emphasizes simulation-based training, hands-on practice, and the use of tools such as point-of-care ultrasound and eFAST to speed up diagnosis and intervention. Dr. Omona Alfonse said the approach is designed to strengthen the entire trauma system by empowering frontline workers.  

“What we have built with TUTATA is a practical, locally adaptable system that empowers health workers to deliver lifesaving care within the first critical minutes. This is how we strengthen trauma systems, from the bedside outward,” he said. 

Beyond the Skills Lab 

The project emphasized practical skills over theory by developing the TUTATA algorithm and training materials, procuring a point-of-care ultrasound machine, and delivering hands-on trauma training for 32 emergency department. The initiative also introduced routine use of point-of-care ultrasound and eFAST, marking the hospital’s first routine use of extended focused abdominal sonography for trauma and enabling faster identification of life threatening conditions. It also improved emergency department staff’s confidence, structured assessment, rapid response, and teamwork in mass-casualty situations.  

Best Project Award received in Korea 

Changing Systems, Not Just Skills 

TUTATA showed that capacity building strengthens both individual skills and the culture of care. In a bid to extend the training beyond Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, the TUTATA developers in collaboration with renown emergency experts from Wonju Severance Christian Hospital in South Korea delivered a similar training in Mulago National Referral Hospital targeting over 30 health workers. This training was tailored to equip healthcare professionals to recognize and immediately manage life-threatening trauma conditions within Uganda’s emergency and surgical care context. Through simulation-based training and practical skills sessions, the training aimed to build the capacity of experienced healthcare professionals to become effective trainers, capable of disseminating trauma care knowledge and skills within their institutions and communities, contributing to the long-term strengthening of Uganda’s national trauma care system. 

The Ripple Effect 

To date, 62 health workers have been trained, including 15 Trainers of Trainers, strengthening sustainability and knowledge transfer within Uganda’s health system further reinforcing local ownership and sustainability in trauma care capacity building. Today, the true impact of the project can be seen not only in manuals, equipment, or training schedules, but in the hands and decisions of the people standing at the bedside when trauma strikes. The frontline staff who once felt overwhelmed are now better prepared to respond with speed, structure, and skill. In the middle of an emergency, that change can mean the difference between delay and action, confusion and coordination, life and loss. 

TUTATA stands as a compelling testament to the effectiveness and transformative impact of the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program, empowering fellows and alumni to translate knowledge into practical, context responsive solutions that drive meaningful change within health systems and positively impacts real lives. 

A section of trainees undergoing the TUTATA training at Mulago National Referral Hospital-Kampala