Community Outreach at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale, Rukungiri District

Community Outreach is one of the Community Services curried out periodically in the Department of Social Work, Social Administration, and Governance. In a bid to extend psychosocial support to in-patient at various hospitals in Kigezi region, the Department chose to extend the service to Rukungiri District at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale on the 6^th April 2019.

A total of 123 Students (55 Males and 68 Females) under the Guidance of Lecturers: Mr. Gideon Mugisha, Mr. Warren Aryeija, Mr. Donesian Hategekimaana the Administrator Mr. Naris Ninsiima and the Head of Department Mr. Adebayo Sanni Tajudeen. Started the journey from the University Campus at Kikungiri at 10:00 am with one University Bus, one University Van, one hired costa bus plus one private vehicle that transported the University staff to the venue of the event. The team reached Rukungiri at 12:20 pm.

Students were gathered at the Hospital Administration Block at 12:35 pm for a Briefing from the Hospital Administration. The briefing was led by the Principal Hospital Administrator Mr. Claudio Turyamureba. He noted the following:

• The Hospital is a Missionary Church founded Hospital under the Nyakibare Catholic Parish, started in 1963
• It is a non-for-profit Hospital
• It is a General Hospital
• Students were cautioned not to show anxiety with some patients’ condition but rather keep calm and show hope
• That there were no contagious diseases being managed at that time.

After the briefing from Head of Department of Social Work, Social Administration and Governance and Hospital Administrator. The students were grouped into three and visited the Medical, Surgical and Maternity wards in turns with the guidance of Hospital staff. Students each got in contact with individual patients and their caretakers who were in the wards for the psychosocial therapy and/or counselling session. Each turn per ward was given about 20 minutes. Afterward, each student was provided with a bag design with a departmental logo containing a bar of soap to donate to the patients in the wards they visited.

After charitable donation, the team gathered at 2:00 to 2:45 pm for the training session at Karoli Lwanga School of Nursing and Midwifery – Nyakibare – the Nursing school at the Hospital. The training was facilitated by the Principal Hospital Administrator Mr. Claudio Turyamureba. In attendance were the Hospital Senior Nursing Officer, the Hospital Social worker, the Customer care officer and the Principal of the Nursing school. The facilitator led the students through concepts of:

• Health care leadership skills like mobilization, creativity, partnership, motivation, etc.
• Health care systems
• Health care resources, like the public, human resource, partners, etc.
• Health care leadership strategies like motivation strategies to consultants, mobilization of local resources and many others
• Psychosocial support to patients like those with terminal illnesses, victims of domestic violence, etc.
• The role of a Social Worker in giving psychosocial support.

Towards the end of the training session, the students engaged the facilitators in a series of issues that need clarification. Some of the questions raised were as follow:

• About Hospital outreach
  It was reported that the Hospital curries out numerous community outreach, most of which were on HIV. They were also carrying out free surgical procedures for some surgical conditions. It was also noted that they make follow-ups on patients who get discharged before recovery.
• On how the hospital helps low-income earners
  It was reported that it is a not-for-profit organization. It offers services on subsidized costs with some government support for Primary Health Care.
• On recovery rate
  It was reported that the recovery rate at discharge was 98%
• About the low ratio of social workers
  It was reported that the workload of the social worker at the hospital was low and that he/she would be helped by the counsellors. Presently they only have one social worker.
• On the hospital sustainable strategic plan
  It was reported that the Hospital works on a 5 years strategic plan. There was also a Nursing School as a strategy to keep staff workload capacity high.

In our general observation, we observed the following:

• Some of the workers participated with had worked with the Hospital for a considered longer time, for example, the Principal of the Nursing School had spent 25 years at the Hospital, the Principal Hospital Administrator 13 years.
• The Maternity ward was the most facilitated ward with a bigger building, good facilities, and many separate units for post-delivery, caesarian, expecting mothers, etc.
• The Hospital was generally clean and tidy, and there was no congestion observed
• The hospital is strategically located on the main road – Rukungiri-Ntungamo road – which eases access. It is also near the main town and within the Rukungiri Municipality.

The journey from Rukungiri was started at 6:00 pm and the last bus reached Kabale at 8:00 pm.