GRACE AND PROSSY
KIMWANYI, UGANDA
Firstly we would like to introduce Grace - the new Clinic Manager. Sadly Agnes, the former Clinic Manager contracted COVID and having spent much time in the hospital in Masaka her complications were so serious that she could no longerwork at the clinic.
Grace has enjoyed her first year at Kimwanyi clinic and feels it has enhanced her knowledge and capabilities. She is very appreciative of the support the clinic receives from CHI. Her favourite aspect is maternity, both anti-natal and bringing a child into the world. This comes with many challenges though, often mothers-to-be arrive without clothes to take the newborn home in, and many have not attended anti-natal classes and so are ill-prepared for the birthing process. Some live in remote villages and fail to arrive at the clinic in time for the birth and hence do not receive the necessary medical attention. Follow-up appointments for immunisations are often missed, leaving babies vulnerable to childhood diseases.
Grace and Prossy both spend time in the outlying villages giving immunisations, tests and treatment for HIV, family planning sessions and other health related talks, in an effort to avoid distance being a problem. They also organise Child Health Days twice a year for the whole area.
Patients often do not access health care because they cannot afford it financially, and many rely on the age-old beliefs and traditions, and although it is accepted that some herbal remedies are effective for some ailments, it is hard to persuade some patients that they do not cure everything.
When CHI visited Kimwanyi Clinic in February 2020 it was looking quite run down. Their biggest challenge then was the lack of continual power and the expense of power when it was available. Thanks to your generosity the clinic now has solar power, enabling them to have light 24/7 - a huge improvement of which the staff are very appreciative.
