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Sister Joan Marie Doud Sister Joan Marie Doud is one of 650 Medical Mission Sisters in 19 nations trying to be present to others in the spirit of Jesus the Healer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Sister Joan Marie joined Medical Mission Sisters shortly after her graduation from West Catholic High School. She earned her R.N. at DePaul Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, and studied midwifery at the Catholic Maternity Institute in Santa Fe. Sister Joan Marie recently completed 44 years of service in Uganda. At first, she was missioned to Fort Portal, Uganda, where she did general nursing, maternity nursing, and public health work for 12 years. After a time of renewal in the U.S., she was assigned to Kasanga, Uganda, in 1979. She began her mission there by doing primary health care and mobile clinic work in the diocese. By 1985, she was working as a nurse clinician and teacher at the Kasanga Health Clinic. At least 300 patients came to the Clinic every day, and as many as 700 came on Mondays and Fridays. “The biggest problem was getting the people to boil water,” recalls Sister Joan Marie. Tuberculosis, cholera, malaria, leprosy, anemia, and hookworm disease were prevalent. Over time, 10 other small clinics were established to help the people, along with immunization, antenatal, and child welfare programs. In the late 1980s, Sister Joan Marie began work in Rubanda, Uganda, as director of our Health Center, which covers 46 villages in the mountainous southwestern part of Uganda. Categorized by the government as a Health Center 3, the dispensary serves 17,350 people in its allotted area, and many more from beyond. The staff of 14 offers outpatient, in-patient, and maternity services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sister Joan Marie has seen thousands of patients with malaria, and many others with respiratory problems, AIDS, and sexually-transmitted infections. She was active in establishing a free Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) program for 18-25 year olds, now supplemented with free antiretroviral drugs at a nearby hospital for children and adults who test HIV-positive. She has also assisted in the births of hundreds of babies. Many improvements in health care and education have taken place over the past 40 years in Uganda. Still, Sister Joan Marie says, “The needs are overwhelming…you see it on TV, but it’s so much more heartbreaking when you are there.”
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