UGANDA MARTYRS HOSPITAL LUBAGA

U G A N DA M A R T Y R S H O S P I TA L LU B A G A

Providing affordable and quality healthcare services to Uganda

ame U G A N D A

M A R T Y R S

H O S P I T A L

L U B A G A

Love Service with

For more than 100 years, Lubaga Hospital’s guiding principles have revolved around a commitment to offering holistic healthcare Writer: Phoebe Calver | Project Manager: Callam Waller

ganda Martyrs Hospital Lubaga - referred to in short as Lubaga Hospital - emerged in 1899, when six courageous women journeyed to Lubaga Hill from France with the hopes of sharing their faith and knowledge with the people of Uganda.

Upon their arrival, there was an outbreak of sleeping sickness which had killed thousands in the Lake Victoria basin area. Four simple huts were built to accommodate the ‘sleepers’ and with that Lubaga Hospital - in its simplest form - came to fruition.

2

“By 1926 the hospital had 43 beds and regular supervision from Mulago National Hospital,” explains Andrew Ssekitooleko, Executive Director at Lubaga Hospital. “From 1933 to 1954 the hospital was able to work with a visiting doctor - Dr L.D. Ahmad, who had previously practiced in Kampala – and he shared the true dedication seen in the Catholic sisters’ actions, to aid all suffering human beings, especially the poor.”

With the growth of the hospital, there was a subsequent need for more qualified medical staff and the Archbishop Louis J. Cabana invited the International Grail Movement to take over management of the Hospital, which it did in 1953.

Ssekitooleko continues: “During Uganda’s Independence, between 1955 and 1962, a great deal of building work was accomplished, including the construction of a number of wards, a laboratory and a pharmacy amongst other facilities.”

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

Until the country faced two wars the Liberation War of 1978/79 and the Civil War of 1985/86 - development of its facilities had been swift and unaffected, however, the running of Lubaga Hospital was greatly affected by the sheer amount of emergency surgeries that had to be performed during this period.

From this point onwards there was an exponential boom in the patients the hospital was handling. Between 1987 and 1990 there were 25,000

H

E

A

L

T

outpatients monthly and 20,000 admissions a year. With the scarcity of available goods in Uganda between the 70s and 90s, containers were sent from Germany with parcels of drugs, equipment, supplies and clothing for the Hospital’s use.

Ssekitooleko adds: “It is important to note that a great number of our achievements that the Hospital has realised over the years, have been through the generous contribution of many partners both locally and

H

C

A

R

E

By 1926 the hospital had 43 beds and regular supervision from Mulago National Hospital

internationally, particularly from Germany, for which we will always be grateful.”

Growth in departments

In the Hospital’s present form, it provides both primary and secondary care throughout its departments, with the core departments for primary care being outpatients, emergency and public health and secondary care including internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

3

U G A N D A

M A R T Y R S

H O S P I T A L

L U B A G A

CROWN HEALTHCARE

E

stablished in 1998, Crown Healthcare is able to respond to a wide variety of medical equipment and supplies challenges, with quality and internationally competitive pricing, backed up by a team of professionally factory trained engineers.

The Company has the flexibility and experience to respond to healthcare needs at all levels, from the smallest local facility to projects on a national scale. With a wide range of in-house stocks at our premises, we are also able to deal with rapid reaction to emergency situations, as well as long term requirements.

T +256 414 250222 +256 776 250222

www.crownkenya.com All departments have expanded dramatically over the years

gynaecology.

“The department of internal medicine was largely in charge of adult infectious disease,” Ssekitooleko elaborates. “However, over the years it has evolved to cater for noncommunicable diseases including diabetes mellitus and hypertensive heart disease.

“Lubaga Hospital’s initial focus on surgery was general, but now it has developed to include interventional endoscopy such as stenting, laparoscopic services, urologic surgery, ENT and orthopaedic surgeries.”

The paediatric department has grown in particular to include paediatric endocrinology, a sickle cell disease clinic and a level II neonatal unit, with the obstetrics and gynaecology department now providing colposcopy and crynotherapy for cervical lesions - one of the very few centres in the country that has that facility.

“Retaining high quality service is of

4

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

Lubaga Hospital’s initial focus on surgery was general, but now it has developed to include interventional endoscopy such as stenting, laparoscopic services, urologic surgery, ENT and orthopaedic surgeries

pivotal importance to us, which is why we have made concerted efforts to reduce congestion within our existing wards and subsequently improving hygiene conditions,” describes Ssekitooleko. “We now have 235 beds, which is 40 beds fewer than the amount we had to work with five years ago.”

The Hospital has a competitive advantage in its ability to maintain good quality and safe patient care at an affordable price for the average Ugandan, for example, the consultation fees are less than 50 percent of the average available in the city. Combined with its excellent customer satisfaction rates, standing at 78 percent and maternal mortality at less than 0.3 percent, Lubaga is exceptional in its field.

Addressing skill gaps

The Hospital’s human resource department covers the wide-range of training functions needed for the hospital to run successfully, covering

H

E

A

L

T

H

C

A

R

E

Solutions • Distribution • Marketing

The premier solutions provider for Medical Equipment and Supplies within the region.

With operations in three countries and a total team of over 100 professionals, we hope that in Crown you will find a correct partner.

A partner that shall deliver with value and on time. A partner that shall enable you carry out your core business - “treating the patient”.

Crown Africa Plot 118-120, Seventh Street, Industrial Area, P.O.Box 28347, Kampala, Uganda T: 00256 414 250222 T: 00256 776 250222 www.crownkenya.com

MEDILINK LABS & SURGICALS LIMITED Plot No.1220, Block 224 Kisugu, Kansanga, Ggaba Road.

P. O. Box 27493, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 414 667987 | M: +256 784 084212 Email: medilink@medilink.co.ug

HIV/Syphilis Duo

HIV-1/2 3.0

Hepatitis B

POC Screening System

You have worked hard to build a vision for your business.

With Microsoft Dynamics® NAV, you can turn that vision into reality with a solution that gives you control over and visibility into what’s going on in your business, and the ability to make smart decisions that impact your margins and improve your cash flow—ultimately driving your business growth.

H

Microsoft Dynamics ERP is multi-language, multi-currency business management solution that helps companies worldwide manage their accounting and finances, supply chain, and operations. Start with what you need now, and easily adapt as your business needs change. In the Microsoft cloud or on your servers—the choice is yours.

RP Solutions

Today, more than 300,000 customers are using Microsoft Dynamics solutions in 42 country versions to drive business success—and stay ahead of the competition.

ExiStation™ Universal Molecular Diagnostic System

Fully Automated BD Bactec FX40 Blood Culture System

HRP Solutions (U) Limited, info@hrpsolutions.co.ug +256 414 580180

Timely & practical solutions

COMPANY PROFILE 2015

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

5

U G A N D A

M A R T Y R S

H O S P I T A L

on-the-job training and training required at universities for up-skilling.

“All of our clinical department’s organise weekly Continuous Medical Education (CME) sessions for staff, with a weekly interdisciplinary CME,” explains Ssekitooleko. “Every year the hospital offers two bursaries for identified skill requirements or gaps; for example, at present we have a surgeon, a critical care specialist and a nurse practitioner - among others - in postgraduate training.

“We are also able to support the use of short-term courses for staff, involving advanced trauma and cardiac life support, critical care and endoscopy/laparoscopy.”

It is important in an institution like this to continuously sponsor and encourage staff to be the best they can be, attending local and international conferences which are relevant to their fields of practice and which will help deliver better service.

It is pivotal to us that our staff are exposed to the best practice, in order to then bring that back to Lubaga Hospital

The Hospital’s human resources department covers extensive on-the-job training

6

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

L U B A G A

“It is pivotal to us that our staff are exposed to the best practice, in order to then bring that back to Lubaga Hospital,” adds Ssekitooleko. “We are particularly good at arranging benchmarking visits to centres of excellence within the country and abroad, enabling our staff to expand their vision for respective units.

“We held a five month in-house management training programme for cultural change, targeting the senior management team in particular, having practical projects impacting critical areas within the Hospital, with coaching and mentoring taking place for specific staff following the line manager’s recommendations.”

In order to offer this various range of up-skilling opportunities, the Hospital is affiliated and accredited by the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau, which offers scholarships and also organised short training courses for managers and staff alike.

H

E

A

L

T

H

C

A

R

E

Ssekitooleko elaborates: “We have private partners in Germany that firmly support our scholarship programme whenever possible and partnerships closer to home with Makerere University School of Public Heath and St. Augustine University in Kampala, that offers training to our undergraduate medical students.”

Challenges facing Lubaga

The rising cost of doing business in the country and the health sector in general, including the expense of medication, medical equipment and medical specialists, is rapidly growing and putting the Hospital under increasing pressure to raise its service fees, which would inevitably be working against its founding mission.

“We hope to mitigate these forces by lobbying for more Government support, both financial and otherwise,” claims Ssekitooleko. “Currently the Uganda Government provides us with four specialists and pays their salaries, and in other areas we will continue to seek donor support, especially for capital developments within the Hospital which enable us to take care of the vulnerable groups within our society.”

It is a real challenge for the Hospital to both attract and retain its specialised staff, particularly due to the cost involved; however, more importantly the absence of technologies and equipment to optimise their skill is a real and present issue.

“We are addressing this challenge through the investments in technology and equipment, as previously mentioned, and growing our own specialists through dedicated partnerships,” concludes Ssekitooleko.

“It is my personal hope that in time we will have made significant progress in developing our critical care unit, structures, specialist staffing and equipment to better serves the public as we have always intended.”

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

7

Uganda Martyrs Hospital Lubaga P.O.Box 14130, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 204 234 800 +256 414 270203/4 info@lubagahospital.org

www.lubagahospital.org

www.outlookpublishing.com