Mukono Health Centre
Mukono Health Centre was started in 1929 by white missionaries. It offers 24hr services for; Outpatient/Inpatient, Dentistry, Counselling (Mon-Fri), Maternity, Laboratory, Beds (8 female, 9 male, 15 childrens, 13 maternity), and an AIDs Clinic.
The AIDs Clinic is open every Tuesday and can see 300 people/day, although many more people arrive but have to be turned away due to lack of resources and staff. In the first 2 months it enrolled 1500 people, 600 of those are on medication now. By 26th February 2008 they had tested 55,758 people. The clinic is trying to spread further out into the community (by driving to remote villages) to reach those who cannot afford to get to the clinic, but this is very difficult due to being run mainly by local volunteers as well as due to the costs involved in transport.
Our volunteers often choose to spend time helping out with this outreach aspect of the clinic however they do need to be aware that this does require a large percentage of their donation.
Facts:
* The clinic recieves no sponsors, only donations from well-wishers and Experience Culture support
* Health Centre patients have to be charged a fee in order for the clinic to run but many people cannot afford this
* HIV sufferers are not given drugs, the drugs are short in supply so are only given to AIDs victims (once the disease has advanced)
* Since 2003, 5600 have been registered in the clinic with HIV
* Many people are turned away due to lack of staffing and facilities
* 15-25 year olds diagnosed with the virus are expected to live for only 5 years because they have no way to look after themselves
* Medication is 3 tablets taken twice a day and must be taken with food however many people are not able to afford the food therefore do not take the pills properly.
Volunteer Role:
No medical experience is necessary for this project and there are opportunities for volunteers to help in the following ways:
* Enrolling and registering people during the clinics
* Spending time in rural communities wtalking to people about their health concerns and providing knowledge to help them understand how to look after themselves
* Counselling people before/after test results as well as thos living in the rural community
* Working in the maternity/Dentistry wards
Volunteers choose what areas they wish to work in once they get to the clinic and may mix-and-match. Volunteers are encouraged to consider the emotional impact different job roles may have.
Orientation workshops introduce volunteers to the ways of counselling, registering, workings of x-ray machines etc
The Health Centre is happy for people to go straight into fieldwork to learn in some cases, as this may be more suitable.
