Uganda

Q3/2010: Panyandoli Clinic Progress Report

September 20, 2010

Naku Charles and Jonathan White

Panyandoli Health Clinic Third Quarter Progress Report

RMF’s Panyandoli Health Clinic at the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement continues to be a thriving and successful primary health clinic serving thousands in the surrounding community.

Through RMF and World Children Fund's (WCF) support, the clinic has become a reliable source of health care within the community. Prior to RMF/WCF providing medicine support, patients accused the health centre workers of giving them only pain killers. Patients come from many different parts of Kiryandongo, some patients even leave Kiryandongo Main Hospital and come to Panyandoli Health Center because there is no medication at the hospital, and many patients cannot afford to have a full course of medicines and be fully treated at local private clinics in Bweyale.

During the Third Quarter of 2010:

• RMF/WCF provided the Panyandoli Health Center with the quarterly supply of medicine for the period of June to October 2010.
• Will provide a second shipment of medicines in the third week of September 2010.
• RMF/WCF renovated and rebuilt the kitchen on the grounds of the health center with built-in charcoal stoves. This new kitchen enables the families of the patients at the clinic to prepare meals on site without having to make the walk home every day.
• RMF donated gift packages/incentives to the 34 health workers at Panyandoli Health Center. These packages included sugar, soap, milk, and tea leaves.

During the month of May, 2,129 patients visited the health centre, out of which 939 were male, and 1,190 were female. The highest prevalent disease was malaria, followed by intestinal worms, and respiratory tract infections.

In the month of June, 4,653 patients visited the health centre, out of which 1,620 were male, and 3,033 were female. In this month, the highest prevalent disease was still malaria, followed by intestinal worms.

During this reporting period, the health center did not lose a single patient. A more detailed morbidity report is attached separately. The coordination of a new supply of medicine to the clinic has made a significant difference to the community and has increased the clinic’s treatment capacity and overall reliability.

The wards are clean, and equipped with medicines and medical supplies. This is all a joint effort of RMF/WCF, the Masindi local government, and UNHCR. But RMF/WCF is so profound and praised in this endeavor because it always provides quickly during a time of great need.

The grounds are continuously cleaned and maintained so that everyone feels safe to walk around without the fear of being bitten by snakes. The new kitchen area has greatly increased the ability of families to contribute to the patients’ well being.

Notable Project Challenges and Obstacles:

• A further influx of up to 10,000 new Ugandan IDP refugees is expected due to an earthquake. This will add many new patients to the clinic.
• Because the outlying community of 30,000 in Bweyale also depends on the clinic for health care, medicine inventories are often depleted quickly as the demand exceeds the government’s and UNHCR’s budgets for medicines for the refugee settlement.
• The staff quarters continue to be inadequate and there is not currently a budget for performance incentives. 18 families, who live on site, share only 2 latrines and a fallen kitchen structure to prepare meals. This issue was presented and we await feedback
• The health centre lacks running water from the existing borehole. Pump and piping is not yet installed. Solar Powered pump installment is in the final stages of approval, quotes need to be approved by the local water board.

Clinic Activities/Success Stories by Charles Naku:

“Apena Joyce is a village child, neither an IDP nor refugee at Kiryandongo, but from about 20 kilometers away from Panyandoli Health Centre. After hearing that RMF/WCF had supplied medicine to the center her mother moved from her village where they had been treating their child with pain killers and local herbs to the health centre. Testing positive for malaria, the child was admitted straight away and put on an I.V. drip. If RMF/WCF had not resupplied the health center with malaria medicine it is doubtful that she would have survived.”

"Wambui Jane was admitted a week ago and by the time I brought the drugs she was being treated by pain killers and a quarter dose of malaria medicine which her parents had bought from a private clinic. Malaria drugs are expensive to ordinary village to afford buying a full dose. She got a smile and her parents too when the drugs arrived at just the right time. Children in the photos below have similar stories. They are all admitted and put on proper doses for Malaria when RMF/WCF medicine arrived.”

Renovation/Rebuilding of Kitchen Structure

These are local charcoal stoves which were made for the Panyandoli Health Centre kitchen. OPM/UNHCR/AAH and other stakeholders were present when handing over the kitchen to the health centre after the renovation.