Hope Clinic in Lukuli brings health to Community
Kampala 8th February,
2007 - Housed in the Parish of Lukuli, the Hope Clinic is
located five kilometres from the centre of Kampala and offers
medical services to the 12,000 strong community comprising farmers
of small holdings of land, sole traders and families who travel
into Kampala for employment. The nearest government facility is
five kilometres away from the Clinic and it is in this context that
the importance of the great service by the clinic becomes apparent.
While those on higher incomes can access the private and more
distant government medical establishments, the under-privileged
turn to the Clinic for their medical support and the staff work
tirelessly to ensure that they are never let down. The clinic is
supported through organizations which operate in the area, notable
among them being Aggreko plc, the world leader in the provision of
temporary power and temperature control services.
Formed in 2000, the Clinic entered
new premises in July 2005 and has grown significantly to offer an
extensive range of medical services to an ever-increasing base of
people. The sharp increase of over 33 percent from last year’s
patient inflow is a definite indication of the ever-increasing
impact of the Clinic. The medical staff at the clinic attend to 50
antenatal cases, deliver 15-20 babies and test over 100 people for
HIV a month. The staff strength has gone up to 22 and includes
counselors as well as paramedic staff to keep up with the constant
influx of the patients. “We are now attending to over 600 patients
through our out-patient department. Last year that number stood at
450. This increase reflects the trust that the community reposes in
us and the quality services offered,” said Philip Mitchell, a
co-founder of Hope Clinc Lukuli.
In recognition of its facilities
and services, the clinic was awarded accreditation from the Aids
Control Programme, Ministry of Health as a HIV Treatment Center.
One of the few non governmental organizations to receive such
recognition, the clinic can now access free HIV testing kits from
the Ministry to further strengthen and widen its support to the
300,000 strong Makindye community.
“Our key challenge is to balance
sustainable growth whilst we expand. Additional staff may be needed
to cater to the increasing patient load but often the receipts from
the general practice do not enable us to meet the salary of the new
staff member. There is yet another scenario, where we take on staff
to support the expanding free services offered such as HIV testing
and child immunization, yet they cannot recover their costs if they
are taken for such services which are free to patients,” commented
Mitchell about some of the challenges faced. “To not offer the
service denies the community what they need, yet to add the staff
means expansion is not sustainable in the longer term,” he
said.Setting in context the importance of donations by
international organisations such as Aggreko plc, Mitchell said,
“The generous contribution makes it possible for us to get an
additional support counselor as well as expand in terms of grades
of staff to a Clinical Officer - Deputy Doctor. This allows us to
provide better health care for the surrounding community without
compromising on the staffing and really paves the way for a
sustained effort.”Aggreko plc had recently donated Uganda Shillings
10 Million to the clinic. Commenting on this association, Julian
Ford, Marketing and Business Development Director, Aggreko
International, said “We are pleased to have the opportunity to work
with the Hope Clinic Lukuli to provide it with necessary support
for its community program. Since 2005, Aggreko has partnered with
the Clinic to provide some of Uganda’s disadvantaged communities
with access to medical care that would otherwise be out of reach
because of various limitations. Our efforts have focused primarily
on assisting those who might not otherwise have the funding
necessary to access primary healthcare through the Clinic.”
Fuelled by such corporate support
and community recognition, the Clinic hopes to expand into new
areas through focussing on the youth and teen population as well as
widening the scope and reach of the general practice. The priority
is to launch programs which educate the community in safe health
practices. The Hope Clinic aims to deliver its promise of providing
the community medical information and treatment they require at a
price they can afford and thereby live up to its mission of
improving local medical history and general lifestyle.
-Ends-