A safer health centre for the Soroti community

By Martin Opiyo, Child Sponsorship and Development Facilitator, World Vision Uganda

Christine lives in Kamuda sub-county, Soroti District in eastern Uganda. A mother to one of World Vision's sponsored children in Kamuda Area Programme, she is one of 40 pregnant mothers who visit Kamuda Health Centre III, which was constructed with support from World Vision in 2010. She attends her monthly antenatal services at the centre.

Christine is grateful that the health centre now has a hand-washing facility. At home, it has been the norm to frequently wash hands since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

“Before, I would just come and enter to see the medical personnel. There was no hand-washing facility at the entrance, yet with this COVID-19, I would feel a little unsafe, but today it is a different feeling,” says Christine with a smile.

To help stop and prevent the spread of COVID-19, the World Vision Soroti cluster office team responded by providing health facilities with hand-washing materials, gloves and liquid soap. Kamuda Health Centre III was one of the centres that received this equipment.

David Okullu, the officer in-charge at the centre, says: “The lack of hand-washing facilities was the biggest threat we had with this pandemic. We, the medical team, did not feel safe as well. We would receive patients from different occupations and contacts. However, World Vision’s support with the hand-washing equipment has rescued us.”

David says they receive more than 150 patients monthly. Among them, six were COVID-19 suspected cases, who used the hand-washing facility before they were quarantined at the Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.

“We really do not know what would have happened without us having these facilities,” adds David.

With the provision of liquid soap, workers are able to keep the health centre clean, further helping in the reduction of the spread of other respiratory illnesses.

“I am not afraid to access the health facility any more. I know I am safe any time I visit,” says an excited Christine.

Learn more about and/or support World Vision’s global work to limit the spread of COVID-19 and support the children impacted by it on our COVID-19 Emergency Response Page.