Transcript for Overcoming Barriers to Health Care

The video begins Steven Jjemba, a man with a physical disability walking. His hands are on his feet. He is wearing a black shirt and black pants with orange designs. He has items in his shirt pocket. Melancholic piano instrumental starts.

Cut to Maria Lukundo, a woman who is blind, walking with a man. She has long black braids and is wearing a blue headband. She is wearing a white, purple, red, and brown flowery dress. She is wearing a brown coat over her dress. She is using a white cane. The man is wearing a purple shirt with a white Irish cap. They are holding hands. They are both wearing face masks under their noses. There are two women behind both of them. One of the women briskly walks by. There are some bricks and other construction materials behind Lukundo.

Cut to a man sitting in an office. His name is Edward Muwanga. He is the coordinator of psychosocial & community work at The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Uganda. He is wearing a purple and white striped button-down shirt. He is also wearing a blue surgical mask. There is a bulletin board behind him with multiple papers pinned to it. He says, “TASO clients, especially those with a disability, most of them are not employed.”

Cut to Jjemba sitting with a man. They are having a conversation. Both men are smiling. The man is wearing bright orange pants with neon green, red, and blue designs. He is also wearing a gray shirt. He has on a watch and a necklace. Jjemba and the man hold a black sandal. Cut to close-up of Jjemba repairing the black sandal. Muwanga’s voiceover continues, “Keeping clinic visits call for support in form of transport.” Cut to Muwanga. He is seated at a desk with papers on it. He says, “Some people are isolated from the main roads.”

Cut to drone shot of a small village in the middle of a forest. Muwanga continues, “They need to pay some money so that they can reach the treatment center, yet these people are not employed.” Cut to Muwanga. He is holding a blue pen. He continues saying, “Some of them are living without caretakers. They don’t have relatives. TASO as a clinic does not provide transport.” Cut to point-of-view shot of person driving a car around the streets of Uganda. “We only provide treatment.” Cut to Muwanga. He says, “So, people with disability find it very challenging to connect from their places of residence to the treatment center.”

Cut to white building and a parking lot full of cars. There is a white tent to the right of the building with some people standing at it. Cut to a sign of “THE AIDS SUPPORT ORGANISATION (TASO) – UGANDA” in blue font. TASO’s logo, in blue, black, and white, is to the left of the blue letters. The sign also states “HEAD OFFICE & TASO MULAGO – MULAGO HOSPITAL COMPLEX” underneath the blue letters. The overall sign is placed under a tree. The leaves on the tree are gently swaying in the wind.

Cut to a crowd of people sitting on benches. There is chatter in the background. Cut to a close-up of a Ugandan man with short hair. A person with a white and black head covering is seated next to him. “That is TASO. That poses a very big challenge,” says Muwanga.

Cut to Maria Lukundo. She is seated with an orange handbag hanging on the chair. She has on a blue face mask under her chin. Lukundo says [speaking in Luganda], “I live in Bulayi, Masaka City. I became blind in 2015, and I take ARVs that I pick up from TASO.” Cut to Maria Lukundo walking with a man wearing a purple shirt and a white Irish cap on. They both walk past a white gate and up a hill. Cut to a group in a sitting area. Each of them shifts forward to occupy an empty spot along the bench.

Cut to Lukundo. She says, “I face challenges when I’m coming from the village and thus transport is my biggest problem to move to the hospital.” Brief cut to a hallway with people seated on chairs. One man is standing. He is wearing a blue, white, and red jacket. He is also wearing light brown pants and is carrying a brown crossbody bag. He has an orange cap on. Cut to close-up shot of a woman wearing a pink shirt. There are people sitting next to her, on the left.

Cut to Jjemba. He says [speaking in Luganda], “Transport is my biggest challenge because if you don’t have money, it’s difficult to pick medicine from the hospital.” Cut to people in white coats walking past the left side of the frame. Two people are wearing white coats. One woman is wearing white and green shirt, and another is wearing a purple and gold dress.

Cut to Jjemba saying, “It’s important to get means of transport. That’s the biggest challenge, but if you get a person to lend you money, and you get it, you can pay it back.” Cut to Jjemba arranging his blue tool box.

Cut to Jjemba saying, “Right now, in my situation, during the pandemic, motorcycles were not allowed to carry passengers.” Cut to Steven Jjemba sitting with another man. They are having a conversation. Both men are smiling. The man is wearing bright orange pants with neon green, red, and blue designs. He is also wearing a gray shirt. He has on a watch and a necklace. The man hands Jjemba some cash. He picks up a pair of black sandals with minor red designs. They shake hands. Brief transition to Jjemba at his work station. “There were police officers who could stop motorcycles from taking me. I could explain to them that I am disabled, but they could not understand. Motorcycles were being stopped from carrying passengers. I could explain to them that I have to get something to eat. If I stay home, I won’t be able to eat.”

Cut to black screen with yellow words that say, “Steven is a cobbler who makes less than two to three U.S. dollars a day.”

Cut to Jjemba arranging and sharpening his tools. He continues, “Still, some could try to stop me. But still, I found some that were genuine and could understand.” Cut to close-up shot of Jjemba sharpening a tool. “One day I was tempted to go to the District Residence Commissioner. When I reached there, he said unless someone does not understand that your situation is self-explanatory, he assured me that I should continue using motorcycles: ‘In case you get arrested, refer back to me.’” Cut to Jjemba pounding something with a small hammer. There is a person in beige pants, light green shirt, and black and white Nike slippers seated next to him

Cut to Jjemba interacting with the same man wearing beige pants, light green shirt with white words on it, and a white hat. Jjemba continues, “He could understand, but I kindly request the government to sensitize its workers about the requirements of people with special needs, as our disability is visible.”

Cut to a reception area full of women. There are two women at the reception desk. Cut to close-up of one receptionist wearing a brown blouse and a white hijab. She is sorting some papers on a desk while holding a pen. The second receptionist, in a white shirt, appears to give directions to a guest.

Cut to close-up shot of a person using a black pen to fill out a form. There is an orange folder next to them, on a table. Edward Muwanga voiceover says, “We make follow-ups.”

Cut to a poster of the Ugandan flag and a U.S. flag joined together with a big red ribbon on a door. The words “President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief” are underneath the flag in black font. There is another door to the right with a sign that says, “PLEASE USE NEXT DOOR 102.” Edward Muwanga says, “We term that as-home care where we visit patients with special needs.”

Cut to Edward Muwanga speaking. He is seated on a black chair. There is a red, purple, and white curtain behind him. “We come back on at-home care where we visit patients with special needs. At their homes. And, the major purpose of doing this, one is to give them home-based treatment. We can choose to treat them from home. Secondly, to assess the home environment,” says Muwanga.

Cut to close-up of Maria Lukundo. Muwanga voiceover continues, “We’re looking at hygiene – who is providing the basic needs. Yes, we look at the community support.” Cut to Lukundo walking with a man. She is wearing a brown coat over her dress. The man is wearing a purple shirt with a white Irish cap. They are holding hands. They are both wearing face masks under their noses. There are two women behind both. There are some bricks and other construction materials behind Lukundo.

Cut to Muwanga. He says, “First of all, give them empowerment counseling. We make them realize the opportunities around them. We make them realize the resources that they may take to their advantage.”

Cut to a man in a white coat. He is wearing a gray button-down shirt and black pants. He examines a woman’s arm with a pair of white disposable gloves on. The patient is wearing a white dress with black designs. There is medical equipment behind the man. Cut to a close-up of the medical professional. He briefly looks to the left. Cut to a close-up of another patient. She has blue earrings on. Cut to a close-up of the medical professional injecting a needle in the patient’s skin.

Another cut to a woman wearing a dark brown shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She presses a cotton swab on an injection site on her arm. She has short hair and is wearing blue earrings. “We provide them with adherence counseling concerned with how best can they take the treatment and how can this treatment be of help to you,” says Muwanga.

Cut to Maria Lukundo holding a book. There is a yellow box with black words on it that say, “A book showing how a patient can best use their ARVs and when they are expected to report back for further medical checkups.”

Cut to Edward Muwanga saying, “We go ahead to provide family counseling.” Cut to two women speaking to each other on a bench outside. There is foliage and grass behind them. One woman’s back is turned back to the camera; she has reddish brown braids tied in a ponytail and is wearing a green shirt with another lace black shirt over it. She has on gold hoop earrings. The woman she is speaking to has on a black shirt with a black and white shirt over it. She has short black hair. Cut to close-up of a woman with short hair speaking to a woman with braids. Muwanga says, “Because we have had cases of discrimination, family members can choose to neglect that person.”

Cut to Muwanga explaining, “So there, TASO… intervenes and talk to the family members, making them realize the value, the worth, of this person living with HIV and disability.” Cut to a close-up of the woman with the white and black shirt making hand gestures. Cut to the two women speaking to each other on a bench. There is a covered walkway behind them.

Cut to Muwanga saying, “Instances where people with disability have been abandoned, we talk to the family members, and we see how we can reunite them.”

Cut to Maria Lukundo walking with a man wearing a purple shirt and a white Irish cap on. They both walk past a white gate. Muwanga says, “We talk to the family members, and we see how we can reunite them.” Cut to Muwanga. “So, that kind of family counseling, to the families, where we have a person on treatment, and this person is living with HIV is very much emphasized. That family counseling.” Cut to close-up of Muwanga at his desk. He is looking downward. “We provide HIV preventive counseling to the people with disability so that they don’t get HIV,” he says. “Because the person with a disability has a right to enjoy the sexual rights, have sexual partners, you know?”

Cut to close up of Lukundo holding two white pill bottles of ARV drugs. There are black words written on the pill bottles. She is seated on her brown coat on a red and white mat. Her orange handbag is next to her. There is a yellow box with black words that say, “A client holding ARV drugs.”

Cut to two people sitting at a table. Papers are hanging on light blue walls around the room. Two men with white coats are in the room. One of them walks across the room. Melancholic piano instrumental transitions to melancholic guitar instrumental.

Cut to four men and one woman standing near each other. They are all wearing white coats except for one man in a yellow shirt. The woman is holding a green pen. Some of them smile and laugh in conversation.

Cut to Steven Jjemba saying [in Luganda], “First of all, most especially those people in the government positions, they have to consider that people with disabilities are like other people.”

Cut to a dimly lit reception area. Two people are seated behind a desk while one woman with a white shirt on stands at the desk with her hands resting on her face. The woman’s arm is resting on the reception desk. A security guard in a blue uniform and hat walks past the reception desk.

Cut to Jjemba. He say, “Because in case someone goes to the hospital and explains to the officials that I have a disability, I kindly request that they should allow me to use the motorcycle to receive my medication.”

Cut to a point-of-view shot of a person as a passenger on a motorcycle ride. The sun is setting.

Cut to Jjemba. He says, “And I leave as early as I can to do other things, as it’s not allowed and yet you have requested them and he can visibly see it.” Cut to a room with hospital beds. People are occupying the beds on the left side of the frame. There are blue mosquito nets above the beds. A man with a white coat on walks down the room and past the frame. He has a black stethoscope around his neck and is wearing a red and white button-down shirt with black pants. He has a small white book in his hands.

Cut to close up of Jjemba walking. Cut to Jjemba speaking [in Luganda], “As our disability can’t be hidden but you request them and they instantly refuse but honestly can see it.”

Cut to the outside of a white and light blue building. One van is parked on the left. A blue car on the right drives off. Two men walk in opposite directions.

Cut to Edward Muwanga. There is a brown shelf to the left stacked with black binders with white labels on them. Underneath the shelf is a brown cabinet with a blue plastic water bottle and other items. There is a calendar behind Muwanga and a brown door to the right. He says, “Once a person living with HIV and a person is having a disability, once confirmed HIV positive, it is important that you accept the serostatus status: ‘I am HIV positive.’ Yes, you accept and look at the way forward.”

Cut to Lukundo standing in front of construction materials outside. There is a woman in what appears to be a blue and white dress behind her. Brief transition to Jjemba smiling. Muwanga says, “Because after accepting, you can make good treatment plan. But if you deny the test results, you cannot come up and make good treatment plan.”

Cut to a woman with a pink blouse and a white coat on. Her hair is in a high bun. She is assembling medication. There is another person wearing a white coat to her left. They are doing the same thing. Brief transition of a close-up of someone sorting pills with a gold-colored tool.

Cut to a man wearing a white coat speaking with a woman in a red and white shirt at a kiosk. There is a person wearing a black-and-red shirt with black pants, waiting behind her. The man hands the woman at the front of the kiosk a piece of paper.

Cut to Edward Muwanga saying, “And work with a support team, work with a team of counselors, work with a team of peer educators.” Cut to a room full of people conversing with one another at a table. There is a stethoscope and papers on the table. “Make a plan for the positive living: ‘How do I live with HIV and disability?’” Cut to Muwanga saying, “Of course, life will go on, as somebody’s on treatment.”

Cut to black screen with a title card in a yellow font that says, “It’s important to note that we are all potential victims of disabilities through diseases like HIV, accidents, wars, and natural calamities. Creating an inclusive environment for people with disabilities makes accessibility easier for other people and prepares for those incoming uncertainties. Let us work on not leaving anyone behind.”

Melancholic guitar instrumental fades out. Screen fades to black. Cut to Copyright- @2022. MADIPHA. All rights reserved.