Uganda

The upgrade of the Panyadoli Health Centre has changed the community's perception of the health centre and as a result, over the course of the year, the number of patients visiting the health centre has increased.

In addition to the facilities upgrade, RMF has already started playing a crucial role in support of the clinic's health care delivery by bridging government funding gaps. Recently, in a joint effort with the UNHCR, Real Medicine Foundation purchased much needed malaria medicine for the clinic, which ran out due to the increase in cases of malaria during the current rainy season.

While our homeopathic malaria program addresses as much as one third of the cases, the spike in malaria cases at the Panyandoli health center quickly depleted the stores of medications for those wishing to be treated at the center.

Real Medicine's John Njorge and the Kenyan settlement leader Peter Karanja oversaw the supplies being offloaded while Dr. Richard verified the new inventory. All parties confirmed placement within the clinic's storage room.

Not only did the rains strain medicine inventories but also wards and grounds needed additional attention and the local government had no budget to hire staff to keep the clinic maintained. In response, RMF quickly stepped in and provided funding to increase the staff of ward cleaners and grounds keepers to keeps the wards mud free and the tall grasses within the compound cut during the heavy rains.

Maintaining hygiene is paramount to the delivery of proper care and the tall grasses often deter community members from visiting for fear of snakes. Some of the many patients are even tempted to defecate in the tall grass rather than going to the latrine.

At present, the wards are well maintained and free of mud and debris. Pictured below are the women and children's wards. The mosquito nets have been removed for cleaning and drying during the day and are returned in the afternoon.

Below is the maternity ward with RMF mosquito net, blanket, and mattress and photograph of the ward ceiling, which has been recently painted.

The ward buildings have been all been cleared of the bush. The photograph below shows the conditions prior to the RMF staff of groundskeepers and difference afterward in contrast.

Because of the increased hygiene on the compound, the laboratory, pictured above right and below has become the location for ARV program and counseling. Below shows the interior of the lab.