Uganda: Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement Project

First Construction Report: Increasing Infrastructure at Panyadoli Health Centre III

November 04, 2016

Alphonse Mwanamwolho

Uganda Initiative Reports

Background

In 2016, Real Medicine Foundation received funding from the LDS Charities to expand the Maternity ward and construct a Minor Operating Theatre at Panyadoli Health Centre III at Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Uganda. RMF Uganda’s team received this funding with great joy, because it has been our dream to build an operating theatre and expand the Maternity ward at Panyadoli Health Centre III since 2009, when we began our support and improvement of the health centers in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. Limited space in the Maternity ward and the absence of an operating theatre have been key issues limiting service delivery at Panyadoli Health Centre III. Once completed, this construction will significantly contribute towards improving the health status of refugees in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, as well as the host community.

Project Planning

Contractor Selection

Through a bidding process, Ben and Dok Enterprises Ltd was selected to construct the Maternity ward expansion and the minor operating theatre. The company also agreed to integrate graduates of RMF’s Panyadoli Vocational Training Institute who have been trained in construction. Thus, an additional benefit of the project is that it has provided employment for several of our graduates, as well as increasing their chance of participating in future construction projects conducted by other partners in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. There is also a very high possibility of some of our graduates being retained by Ben and Dok Enterprises Ltd.

Structural Dimensions

Maternity Ward

Waiting room (3.2m x 4.9m)
Porch (1.3m x 4.2m)
Sterilizing room (2.8m x 2.6m)
Stage 1 room (3.2m x 2.6m)
Delivery room (3.2m x 4.4m)
Midwife room (2.8m x 1.8m)
Linen room (71.7m x 1.8m)
Ward (6.4m x 6.9m)
Sluice room (2.2m x 1.8m)
Bathroom (2m x 1.8m)
Passage (1.8m)

Minor Operating Theatre (Dimensions: 19.9m x 11.65m)

Lobby
Supervisor’s room
Duty station
Ante recovery room
Operating room
Sluice room
Sterilizing room
Storeroom for sterilized items
Anesthetist discharge
Storeroom
Anesthetist’s room
Surgeon’s room
Lavatory

Construction Progress

Stage 1: Mobilization

The selected construction company, Ben and Dok Enterprises Ltd, has mobilized:

Tools and equipment (tracker, concrete mixer, hoes, wheel barrows, harmers)
Materials (sand, aggregate, cement, BRCs, timber, etc.)

Stage 2: Clearing the Building Site and Laying the Foundation

Maternity Ward Tasks Completed

Leveling the ground
Setting out
Excavating trenches
Casting the concrete foundation
Plinth wall construction
Plastering the plinth wall
Applying bitumen paint
Backfilling
Spreading of the hardcore
Blinding
Applying PVC
Placing form work to hold the concrete
Applying oversite concrete

Now the concrete slab will be given 7 days to cure before the main wall can be set.

Minor Operating Theatre Tasks Completed

Leveling the ground and uprooting tree trunks
Setting out
Excavating trenches
Casting the concrete foundation
Plinth wall construction
Backfilling
Spreading of the hardcore

Overall, the work is progressing well, with some challenges which we have the financial means to address.

Concluding Observations

According to the contractor, Ben and Dok Enterprises Ltd, the most difficult part of the work is almost completed, and the remaining tasks will go much faster. Thus, the contractor is still committed to finish the project by the end of December 2016.

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Background

The Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Bweyale, Uganda, is a UNHCR managed refugee settlement that provides shelter, land, and support for more than 100,000 people. They are comprised of refugees from Kenya, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. RMF has partnered with UNHCR in supporting Kiryandango Refugee Settlement, the surrounding community of Bweyale, and the greater Kiryandongo District (an additional 266,197 people) with health care, education, and vocational training since 2008.

Objectives

To serve as a health care implementation partner with the UNHCR and Ugandan Government
To provide health care services to over 100,000 refugees and persons in the community via the Panyadoli Health Centres
To provide skills training for South Sudanese refugees to enable them to become self-reliant