Uganda: Panyadoli Healthcare Project

Improvement in Health

Quality of Life

Through RMF/WCF’s support, Panyadoli Health Centre III has become a reliable source of health care services to the community and death rates have been reduced significantly.

There has been general improvement in quality of life amongst the population served, the increase in number of staff in all health facilities has added tremendous value to health services, and the establishment of the Health Clinic at the Reception Center has reduced overcrowding at Panyadoli Health Centers III and II, hence the hospital utilization rate has increased with changed health seeking behavior amongst the refugees.

Medications Procured

New Services for the Center

During the reporting period, continued efforts were made to ensure that drugs were locally procured for patients with illnesses for which drugs were not available in the stores. Other services like ultrasound examinations and therapy, and X-ray services were provided; those are not readily available at either Kiryandongo Hospital or Gulu Hospital, which are the nearest referral points. However, these services were made available by supporting patients financially to access such services at the offices of private medical practitioners.

HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing

Aiming for Prevention

HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) were provided in Panyadoli Health Center III. Communities have been sensitized on prevention, care and guard against discrimination and stigma and engaging in risky lifestyles that lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The recruitment of the HIV/AIDS counselor has helped build confidence among the clients in need of HCT services at the health facility and outreach sessions. Availability of skilled midwives has increased ANC services at both health facilities; overall mothers are now seeing hope in deliveries at the facilities instead of delivering at home.

Community Outreach

Reaching Farther Areas

Preventive community based health services were enriched with conducting outreaches through static units (i.e. Reception Center Clinic) and enhanced by outreach for communities with limited access to the existing health units or located over 5 km from the health facility.

RMF took an integrated outreach approach with services covering immunization, HCT, ANC, deworming, condom distribution, health education including vital information on other cross cutting issues like gender based violence since the community is reached with various medical services simultaneously in consideration of time and cost implications.

Health Promotion

Training In Prevention

The community health promoters were trained on disease surveillance and prevention, and on their roles, while an assessment on the training needs for the Health Unit Management Committee members has been undertaken. Their training will be conducted in the next quarter.

In addition to the above, because of the improved health care services that RMF/WCF has facilitated, the community (both refugee and host community) is less sick and thus engages in productive activities especially farming. A number of families are producing food and vegetables to supplement the food rations provided by WFP. Some refugees have been employed as cleaners at the health centers.

South Sudan Tension

Refugee Population Increase

Despite the cease fire discussions in the South Sudan crisis, no agreement has been reached and fighting has continued. This implication of this is that more refugees will keep coming. This requires continuous and additional funding to provide services that will match the increased population of refugees. At the moment on average, we receive over 170 new refugees per day.

Delays in accessing services at Kiryandongo Hospital due to language barriers and the lack of a referral focal person. Lack of treatment for chronic diseases, especially high blood pressure. Lack of a psychiatric nurse at the health centre, hence high referrals. Lack of delivery sets, episiotomy sets, stitch removal sets, dressing sets.