Okufa kuno kubadde mu Uganda ku musawo eyasoma mu Ireland amanyiddwa ennyo olw’okuleeta obujjanjabi obukkakkanya obulumi mu Africa. Dr Anne Merriman yali yakuzizza amazaalibwa ge ag’emyaka 90 wiiki ewedde yokka, n’afuna okusiima okuva eri Pulezidenti Michael D Higgins ne Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

Dr Merriman, eyatendekebwa mu by’obusawo mu University College Dublin, yatandikawo ekitongole kya Hospice Africa Uganda mu Kampala mu 1993.

Amanyiddwa nga “maama w’obujjanjabi obw’okukkakkanya obulumi mu Afrika”, yagenda mu maaso n’okutandikawo ekitongole kya Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care mu Afrika ku mabbali g’ekifo kino. Ettendekero lino likola pulogulaamu za masters, bachelors ne diploma mu by’obujjanjabi obw’okukkakkanya obulumi, nga kitendeka ebikumi n’ebikumi by’abayizi okuva mu mawanga ga Afrika 37.

Ng’assa ekitiibwa mu Dr Merriman oluvannyuma lw’okufa kwe ku Ssande, UCD School of Medicine yategeezezza engeri gye yawagira n’enteekateeka empya mu Tanzania, Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Sudan ne Rwanda.

Mu makumi g’emyaka egy’obuminsani n’obusawo, Dr Merriman yasiimibwa olw’okutumbula obulamu bw’enkumi n’enkumi z’abantu abalwadde ennyo. Omuze gwe ogw’obujjanjabi obw’okukkakkanya obulumi obw’ebbeeyi, obukolebwa awaka, ng’akozesa eddagala lya morphine eriweebwa mu kamwa okuddukanya obulumi, lyakyusa enkola y’okulabirira abantu ku nkomerero y’obulamu mu Uganda ne Afrika.

Lumu yalondebwa okuwangula ekirabo kya Nobel eky’emirembe, yazaalibwa mu kibuga Liverpool mu bazadde be abaali baana abazaalibwa mu Bungereza ab’abasenguka okuva mu Ireland. Oluvannyuma lw’okuva mu ssomero e Liverpool, yeegatta ku kibiina kya Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM) order e Dundalk okutuukiriza ekirooto kye yalina ng’akyali muwala muto okuweereza abaavu mu Afrika.

Ekiragiro kino kyamusindika mu UCD okutendekebwa mu by’obusawo, oluvannyuma n’akola emyaka 10 mu Nigeria ng’omusawo omuminsani n’okumala emyaka amakumi abiri mu Uganda.

Yava mu kiragiro kino oluvannyuma lw’emyaka 20 kyokka n’akuuma okukkiriza okw’amaanyi n’enkolagana ey’amaanyi ne bannyinaffe ba MMM. Yakolera ne mu Bungereza, Malaysia, Singapore ne Kenya, n’afuna obumanyirivu bungi mu by’obujjanjabi bw’omu bitundu eby’obutiti n’ebyobulamu by’abantu.

[ Dr Anne Merriman’s hospice ereeta ekitiibwa eri abafiira mu UgandaOpens in new window ]

Yafuna engule ya Pulezidenti ey’obuweereza obw’ekitiibwa okuva ewa Pulezidenti Higgins mu 2013.

Mu kulamusa amazaalibwa wiiki ewedde, Mr Higgins yayogeddeko ku musika gwe nga “nothing short of inspirational”.

"Muzuukusizza ssemazinga, n'ensi yonna, ku nsonga nti okumalawo obulumi n'okulabirira mu ngeri ey'ekisa ku nkomerero y'obulamu ddembe lya buntu ery'omusingi. Omulimu gwammwe gutaddewo emisingi gy'okutumbula obujjanjabi obukkakkanya obulumi okwetoloola Afrika," Mr Higgins bwe yategeezezza.

“Kyewunyisa okulowooza nti bwe mwatandikawo Hospice Africa Uganda mu 1993 mu Afrika mwalimu amawanga asatu gokka agalina obujjanjabi obw’okukkakkanya obulumi. Eky’okuba nti leero amawanga ga Afrika 37 galina obujjanjabi obw’okukkakkanya obulumi bujulizi ku mulimu gwo n’okwolesebwa kwo nti waliwo obujjanjabi obw’okukkakkanya obulumi eri bonna abali mu bwetaavu mu Afrika.”

Mr Martin era yasiimye Dr Merriman ku mukolo ogwo. “Okuyita mu kufuba kwo okutakoowa, muleese ekitiibwa, okubudaabudibwa n’emirembe eri abalwadde n’ab’omu maka gaabwe, edda gye waaliwo obulumi, okutya n’okubonaabona.”

Omubaka wa Ireland mu Uganda, Kevin Colgan yagambye nti yali muntu wa muwendo era omujjumbize” mu bantu ba Ireland mu Kampala okutuusa wiiki eziyise.

Yalondebwa nga UCD Alumnus of the Year mu Sayansi w’Ebyobulamu mu 2016. Yaliko omusomesa ow’ekitiibwa mu yunivasite y’e Lancaster ate nga pulofeesa ow’ekitiibwa mu by’okukkakkanya obulumi mu yunivasite y’e Makerere mu Kampala.