Description of Suubi Medical Centre – Ugandan Charity Work
Suubi Medical Centre (SMC) is a non-profit, non-sectarian charity project dedicated to bringing developmental services to the poor villages of Uganda. This name of the medical centre is derived from a local word, ‘Suubi’ that means ‘hope’. The Medical centre was started in 2006. Keep reading to find out more about Ugandan charity work.
The vision of SMC is a healthy population in Busu village where all people are able to contribute towards social-economic development of their households and the community. SMC hopes to accomplish this vision through:
- Health Education: preventing diseases and counseling services
- Medical Care: providing treatments, care and support, and rehabilitation to people affected by diseases.
Since its inception, SMC and its partners in Ugandan charity work have been able to utilize technology, skills and energy to achieve these goals, while respecting local culture and the existing resources in place. It is now evident that Suubi Medical Clinic is vital to medical progression within Busu village and Iganga district as a whole. From inception, SMC Ugandan charity work purposed to provide and promote:
- Basic medical and dental care services
- Treatment of common diseases
- Promoting recommended programs for combating polio, tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis, cholera and other such diseases
- Medical guidance and assistance to patients with chronic illnesses
- Essential maternal and childhood services including:
- Balanced nutrition programs for children and pregnant women
- Other safe motherhood programs including Antenatal Care
- Basic health education seminars.
- Life-saving and first aid skills to the people in the village
- Safe water use
- Improving household nutrition
- Village workshops on adolescent health and counseling
- Education and help for sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS and reproductive health cancers (breast and cervical)
- Sexual and reproductive health awareness and family planning
- Improvements in standards of personal hygiene and sanitation
- Encouragement to construct and use pit latrines in the village
- A 24/7 emergency service
- To refer serious and emergency cases to the government referral hospital in Iganga
- A mobile clinic within the village to deal with patients that cannot come to the medical centre
At the moment, SMC is able to provide only part of these envisioned services due to one reason or the other. The efforts to build and equip the medical centre and continuously supporting its operation are ongoing. The mobile clinic is yet to effectively operate because of challenges with transportation of the medical personnel.
In the recent past, a number of visiting teams of skilled medical personnel and volunteers have visited the centre, undertaking Ugandan charity work. They provided medical services including dental and counselling services to the populace. However, a number of milestones need to be covered so as to fully arrive at meeting our mission and vision as a centre of medical progression in Busu village.
At the start, most of the efforts in setting up Suubi were community orchestrated and led by Denis Kigongo Victor who hails from this village. The Medical Centre buildings were constructed using local materials made and provided by people in Busu village. In addition to overseeing local Ugandan charity work and supporting the management team of the centre, Denis’ role now is geared to fund-raising for the improvement of the Centre. The Centre is coordinating donor and partner efforts in building this noble community idea.
Initially medical services at the Centre were free to the community. Unfortunately in 2009, SMC had to temporarily close because of operational challenges as a result of lack of funds. After rethinking the approach and the sustainability element, new policy and working procedures were introduced. The Centre reopened in January 2011. The patients to the Centre were required to pay for the medication they receive and not the consultation fee[1]. The consultation fee would be covered by the Centre. Further to this, children below five years were required pay only half the cost of the medication, while adults pay the full rate. The half pay principle will be applied to breast feeding mothers and pregnant women at the end of 2011.
Read more about Ugandan charity work here
[1] The cost of seeing a Medical Doctor for consultation, diagnosis and prescription of treatment