Help a community Medical Clinic achieve its goals.

Shalom Medical Clinic is social enterprise and a medical center which opened in and started operating in June 2023 till present, located in Kitgum municipality northern Uganda.

We are a community-oriented project providing quality basic healthcare at affordable price/fee.

VISION

• A world where quality healthcare is accessible to everyone.

MISSION 

• To provide Quality and affordable Health care to the community 
• To promote Public Health.

GOALS/OBJECTIVE

• To promote Primary Health Care among the general population 
• To eliminate/reduce prevalence of infectious diseases in the community
• To reduce/eliminate mortality and morbidity related to infectious diseases and neglected African Tropical diseases like TB, Leprosy, Tripanosomiasis, Buruli ulcer etc 
• To provide quality and affordable healthcare to the community.
• .To empower the community to make informed decisions about their Health
• To provide accurate diagnosis to patients’ conditions by use of modern day diagnostic equipment.

STRATEGIES

• Adequate provision/availability of medical equipment and drugs/medicine (stocking). 
• Recruitment of Qualified Health Professionals to provide Quality Health Services.
• Sensitization of the community through community meetings, radios and talk shows about matters relating to Health.
• Curbing down teenage pregnancies/Sex Education
• Organizing community outreach programs on matters concerning Health examples Free HIV/AIDs, Hepatitis B and other epidemic and endemic diseases, testing and counselling programs, Cervical screening programs and awareness, Breast cancer, etc.
• Organizing annual or monthly medical camps on areas requiring specialties example, Ophthalmology, ENT, Surgeries etc.
• Inclusion of stakeholders in matters concerning community’s Health/Community Involvement..
• Participating in Research to find solutions to community Problems.

CORE VALUES

• Community-Oriented. Always acknowledging our core role in the community, seek, understand and fulfil their Health needs. This is a projected started to benefit the community
• Excellence and Quality. We strive to be extremely good in whatever work we are doing, by holding and maintaining high standards 
• Honesty and Integrity. In our service provision, we always act in a way we know to be right and kind through being truthful and sincere with our words and actions.
• Continuous Medical Education, Teaching and Training (Health workers and the community)
• Teamwork; Healthcare is multidimensional sector which can’t be achievable alone, at our clinic we believe in teamwork and are always working together to bring the best service to our clients.
• Affordability; our vision is to provide quality healthcare at affordable price and we are not shying away from it, our fees are a bit low compared to other neighboring facilities; we acknowledge the economic hardship and status of most of the people in our community who can’t afford expensive services, we strive to bring them that quality healthcare at a cut down fee
• Hard work; we have a team of committed health service providers who love their work and are always committed to the work they do.
• Sustainability; this being a social enterprise, we acknowledge the need to stand our own, we want to see the project stand and operate its own activities not long.
• Accountability and Transparency; we are accountable and transparent in all our actions.

One of our strategies and objective is adequate provision and availability of diagnostic equipment; we believe the world is changing, new technologies that give access to better diagnoses of clients are coming up and we don’t want to be left behind. 

With the right medical equipment, we could diagnose and  treat patient better and more efficiently.

We managed to acquire and hematology analyzer from our last campaign and it is making a huge difference in our diagnoses especially on disorders pertaining the blood.

The Clinic currently employs 3 Health professionals; A clinician, an enrolled Nurse and a laboratory Technician.

Despite being in our first year of operation, we can pay our rent, restock medicines, and pay salaries for staffs.

The services we are currently providing are;

1. General medicine. We do outpatient dispensary services on most basis, by diagnosing and treating (managing) some of the most common illnesses like Malaria, Enteric Fever, Brucellosis, routine health check-ups, gynecological cases, minor surgeries, and child health care.

2.Laboratory Services: Our Lab services include Malaria Test (Microscopy and rapid diagnostic test), Typhoid widal test, Brucella Agglutination Test, Urinalysis, Stool analysis, Pregnancy test, H.pylori test for peptic ulcer disease, HIV testing, HeBsAg for Hepatitis B, sperm count, Blood grouping, Random blood sugar, among others to mention but a few. We are planning to enroll a lot more on to the available ones this year.

3. Home Nursing Care; for minor cases that can be managed at patient’s comforts

4. Minor Operations; simple procedures like stitching cuts and lacerations (injuries), Manual Vacuum Aspiration for management of spontaneous abortion, Dilation and curettage.

5. Guidance and counselling; on chronic conditions that affect the pyscho-social domain of an individual, we have fully qualified team of medical professionals to handle this.

6. Health Education; we endeavor to always explain patient's conditions to them, the test and treatment they are getting. also planing to set up a Community-Based Organization targeting Community health education and selected service out-reaches. in public places places like markets, schools, and radio.

7. Selected Specialist Services; when fully established we going to have specific days where we have specialists here to attend to special services for conditions beyond our area of expertise. e.g ophthalmology, orthopedics and traumatology, dental services to mention but a few.

8. Admission; our admission capacity at the moment is at 2 beds but we will expand with time.

What we have;

Our Clinic is partitioned in four units.

The common room, which act as reception and waiting area, pharmacy for dispensing medicine.Laboratory. We have a level 2 laboratory which can do quite a range of test among which mentioned above under services offered. We have a binocular microscope, a refrigerator for storing vaccines and laboratory test reagents.  test strips for rapid diagnoses among the major ones to mentionClinical room; for consultation, doing minor procedures. Our consultation room has a clerking table and chair, patient chair, an examination bed. and equipment for taking vitalsBed rest. At 2 capacity currently and serve as admission room whenever we have admission.Health professionals. 

What we need.

We are seeing steady progress with the clinic operation, being a newly established social enterprise.

This year we are planning to include and expand our activities beyond just the clinic.

Some of the things we want to include into our plans but need funding include;

01. Ultrasound Scan Machine (Portable)

An ultrasound scan is an imaging machine invention that uses high frequency sound waves to create images of the inside of the body. They can help evaluate fetal development, as well as detect in various organs. Its application and importance is not only limited in obstetrics and gynecology but general population. From monitoring fetal development, to diagnosing most of the gynecological diseases and disorders, to diagnosis of most common disorders in the abdomen and the general population.

Ultrasound scans or sonography, are safe because they use sound waves or echoes to make an image instead of radiations.

It can be used to examine internal organs such as the liver and kidneys, the pancreas, the thyroid gland, the testes and ovaries, lump or tumors, fluid filled cyst, problems with soft tissues muscle, blood vessels, tendons and joints, and others.

This is our priority equipment for this year.

Acquiring this equipment will help us serve our clients better, diagnosing critical conditions on time. All pregnant women need this scan at some stage in the 9 month visit. This will benefit the mothers within and around our community who have to travel some significant distances in charges for the same services.

We are looking at a portable one since the trolley one is quite expensive.

02. Motorcycle.

We currently don’t have any mean of transport as an organization and it is really a big challenge for us.

A  motorcycle for now would aid us in transporting drug stocks, nursing home care, community outreaches in schools and radio and referral of patient to a bigger facility, to mention but a few.

Other costs. 

Clinic Supervision. We are currently being supervised by an experienced health professional who foresee is accountable for the whole the activities transpiring within the clinic. The supervision fee is paid annually.

License renewal: every year we pay a fixed fee to the ministry of health for renewing our license for running the clinic.

BUDGET

ITEM

AMOUNT (IN GBP)

ULTRASOUND SCAN

           2,500

MOTOCYCLE 

           1,500

CLINIC SUPERVISION

           500

LICENSE RENEWAL

           100

It is also important to note we are paying our rent, restocking, trading license, transport, food for staffs, allowance and salaries for staffs, completing our setups,   and any other clinic expense with our takings making it a sustainable project.

Anything you can contribute towards helping us achieve our target will be massively appreciated. 

Thank you.

Peter Akena. (Clinician, Founder Shalom Medical Clinic and a Social Entrepreneur)