For many years now, Bob and Lee have worked for the charity ‘Festival Medical Services’ (FMS) which looks after the health of festival goers at some of the countries largest festivals (and smaller ones too).
We saw the usual mixed bag of blisters, ingrowing toenails, twisted ankles and this year…lots of false fingernails that got ripped off when putting up tents, taking the real nail with it…..ouch!
All the clinical staff working at FMS do it for free and all the money raised goes towards health projects here and abroad (often projects that FMS staff are or have been involved with).
Richard, one of the Pods, went to see the work of one project FMS funds in Mbali, Uganda. Ambulances struggle there as the roads are so bad – even a Land Rover would struggle (but a Land Rover would be far too expensive to maintain and repair). Well, the locals came up with a potential solution that FMS have funded the prototype of….A Tuk-Tuk Ambulance.
Tuk-Tuks (commonly called auto-rickshaws) are one of the fastest-growing and most popular modes of public transport across Africa. Known for being cheap, nimble, and highly efficient at weaving through traffic congestion. They can easily get to and from wherever needed, are cheap to run and have the local expertise to make and repair.
If you want to know more about FMS, visit their website here
Article by Bob Longworth MSc