The Health Centre: Dispensary, General Ward & Community Health Programme

The original Dispensary was opened in 1992 in a one-room building and  a qualified nurse, was appointed. In 1998 the people of the villages built a more spacious Dispensary  so that when necessary, people could be cared for overnight. In 2003 a registered midwife was appointed  and in 2006 a theatre was constructed allowing people to have minor surgery. A doctor visited one day each week.

In 2009 funds were obtained from a generous sponsor and the General Ward started to be built.  Where possible the people of the villages gave their time and energy to the construction.  It was finished and furnished in 2010.  Within the Health Centre there are two fridges  which need ongoing maintenance and upkeep. One is used for immunisation vaccines, and the other for vaccines specifically for HIV/AIDS. They run on paraffin or butane gas as there is no electricity.

People now come from well outside the boundaries of the villages associated with the Kanyike Project.  There are now five permanent members of staff - a clinical officer, two nurses (one qualified in midwifery) a counsellor and a lab technician. A doctor and a surgeon visit once a week for minor surgery and antenatal care including advice on the transmission of HIV. Postnatal care and support is also available.

A Community Based Health Care scheme was established in 2004. The programme is headed by a qualified health worker, who is assisted by eight local volunteers. They visit all the households within the Kanyike Project area, stressing (among other things) the importance of hygiene as a means for the prevention of diseases. The volunteers are given bicycles as a means of transport between the villages, and the bicycle can then be used in the volunteer's free time for such things as taking produce to market, offering transport to others, and carrying water. 

In January 2011 we found premises in Kampala as we had been given the funds by a kind sponsor to open a new Dental Surgery. The people of the Kanyike Project will be provided with transport to take them to Kampala, and by locating it here it will quickly become self-sustaining by also providing treatment to others in Kampala who can afford to pay for themselves.