Summary
The activities conducted as part of our Health Facility Development programme are widely varied and overlap considerably with our other projects. K4C has supported more than 20 health facilities in Uganda since 2015 through the placement of over 300 long-term and 100 short-term professional volunteers to run training programmes and by sustainably investing over £300,000 in equipment and infrastructure. The facilities we have supported range from small rural health centres to large urban hospitals. Our main areas of focus have been maternity, paediatrics, neonatal intensive care and operating theatres, however we have also supported mental health, orthopaedics, surgery, general medicine and outpatients.
Capacity Building
K4C has placed over 400 short and long-term professional volunteers across more than 20 health facilities to conduct formal training and/or work alongside local staff to exchange valuable knowledge, skills and experience. Our medical, nursing and midwifery volunteers have focused on areas such as respectful care, managing complex deliveries, patient observations, triage, operative techniques, surgical safety, prescribing practices, counselling and implementing infection prevention and control measures. This knowledge exchange has greatly improved the level of care received by patients and has reduced levels of patient morbidity and mortality. Volunteers have also gained huge amounts of knowledge, skills and experience which they can use to improve their practice in the UK.
Equipment Provision
K4C has provided over £70,000 worth of medical equipment to health facilities, ranging from BP machines, delivery beds and autoclaves through to vaginal speculums, sutures and waste disposal units. We endeavour to ensure that all equipment is appropriate for the local setting and is sustainable, in line with the focus of our Biomedical Engineering Project. We ensure that all staff receive appropriate training on its cleaning and maintenance to maximise its lifespan and avoid putting patients at risk.
Infrastructure Development
K4C has invested over £200,000 into developing infrastructure at health facilities. Some of our main projects include developing a high dependency unit and building a guesthouse at Mulago Hospital, renovating the operating theatre and building a post-operative ward at Kasangati Health Centre, building staff accommodation at Hoima Hospital, renovating the operating theatres at Kawempe and Kisenyi Hospitals and renovating the maternity and outpatient units at Kagote Health Centre. All investments in infrastructure are negotiated with local partners and are designed with sustainability in mind.
Key Achievements
More information about our Health Facility Development programme can be found in the reports and publications below: