Hope Clinic in Lukuli brings health to Community
February 2008: Housed in the Parish of
Lukuli, Hope Clinic is located five
kilometres from the centre of Kampala, Uganda 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.