G-2729

Ugandan Vital Signs Equipment

Description

Financing

Documents

Photos

History Logs

Project Description

Region: Africa

Country: Uganda

Location: Kampala

Total Budget: $91,500

Area of Focus: Disease prevention and treatment



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Proposal Form

Several U.S. Rotary clubs are teaming with Uganda's Kampala Naguru and Gulu Rotary clubs ("the Rotary Consortium") to provide vital signs equipment and training to 125 rural public centers in 5 local government districts in Uganda. (See attached document Exhibit 1: Rotary Uganda Partner & Health Units.) These 5 districts together treat over 890,000 patients per year. The primary objective of this grant is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of illness, and therefore healthcare outcomes, of tens of thousands of patients.

The Ugandan Ministry of Health (MOH) has invested heavily in healthcare infrastructure, with 3,150 medical facilities in a country the size of Oregon. Ugandan patient exit interviews show that 98% of patients rate MOH facilities highly on staff knowledge and competence, but 70% found them unacceptable in the availability of medical equipment and 69% in the availability of the drugs that the clinicians are prescribing.

Vital signs equipment has been part of the standard of care in the West for decades. Unfortunately, given limited resources, the MOH budget does not include vital signs equipment. In addition to the patient exit interviews, a recent healthcare provider survey indicates that only about 3% of patients are currently having vital signs taken, which means that many treatable diseases are going undiagnosed and untreated. The survey also shows that when vital signs equipment is available, 23% of Ugandan adults who had their blood pressure taken were diagnosed with hypertension, a serious but treatable disease.

Through this global grant, the Rotary Consortium will provide basic vital signs equipment and training to approximately one hundred and twenty-five rural Ugandan health centers. To assist in the distribution and training, the Rotary Consortium is working with Bulamu Healthcare International, a US non-profit and Ugandan NGO regulated by the government's NGO Board. Bulamu was founded in 2016 to provide primary medical care to the rural poor in Uganda. Bulamu has developed cost-effective models, partnering with local government Districts, to provide Western medical diagnosis and treatment without charge to impoverished rural residents. PPE is also greatly needed and included in the grant for many facilities. (Copies of the MOH's letter of recommendation and Bulamu's annual report are attached to this application as Exhibits 4 and 6, respectively.)

On average, the donated "kits" with associated training and travel expenses cost $732 per facility, and include digital and infrared thermometers, stethoscopes, weighing scales, height rods, blood pressure monitors, glucometers, glucose strips, oxygen saturation monitors, batteries. Vital signs equipment manufactured in developed countries and imported to Uganda will be purchased locally from established medical equipment suppliers, subject to a competitive bidding process.

All funds from this Global Grant will be used to purchase equipment and train clinicians at health centers in the five districts identified on Exhibit 1. These include two that were already scheduled by Bulamu for the fall of 2021 (Mayuge and Namutumba) and three new districts specifically requested by Kampala Naguru, the Host Club (Isingiro, Amuru and Gulu.) Equipment will be distributed in conjunction with two Bulamu programs, each based on Memorandums of Understanding that it executes with the local government districts: the Clinical Support Team (CST) program, at the 4 largest health facilities in the district, and the Health Center Excellence (HCE) program, which extends these clinical disciplines to the remaining 25-52 health units, many of which are local village clinics staffed by nurses. Because the date when Rotary funds will be available is uncertain, equipment will be distributed as soon as funds are available according to the schedule shown in supplemental document Exhibit 1. The 3 districts Kampala Naguru Rotary Club has selected, where the need is very great, are larger than average (39 health units each vs. 22 per district on average). This means that distribution and training will be more efficient because of the concentration of health units.

While this grant will service a minimum of 125 health facilities, it is likely that the number of health units covered will reach between 140 and 160 facilities. The Rotary Consortium will not know the exact needs of each health unit until Bulamu and members of the Host Club (some of whom are licensed healthcare professionals) are on the scene. If a facility already has an item from the standard vital signs equipment kit that is operational, another will not be provided.

Rotary International will be announced as a partner in all districts where equipment is distributed. Bulamu will pay for any additional equipment and training needed at the districts specified by Kampala Naguru if the grant funds are exhausted. Without the Global Grant, there would not be adequate funding for the additional three large districts requested.

Primary Host Partner

District: 9213

Rotary Club of: Kampala Naguru

Primary Contact: Margaret Okello Nueko

Email: magokello@gmail.com

Primary International Partner

District: 5340

Rotary Club of: Rancho Santa Fe

Primary Contact: Judith Rowles

Email: tisirowles@cox.net

Project Status

Completed
This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by The Rotary Foundation. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners.

Project listed for the 2021-22 Rotary Year.

The TRF Grant application number is #2127364.

Proposed Financing

Existing Contributions Towards This Project

Date

Cash

DDF

Total

Kampala Naguru (9211)

6-May-21

$5,000

$2,500

$7,500

Rancho Santa Fe (5340)

6-May-21

$12,000

$10,000

$22,000

Encinitas (5340)

14-May-21

$7,500

$7,500

$15,000

San Diego (5340)

18-May-21

$3,000

$0

$3,000

Bonsall (5340)

26-May-21

$10,000

$10,000

$20,000

Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation

-

$24,000

$24,000

Total

$91,500

Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.

Project Supporting Documents

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History Log Entries

6-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Creation of project page.

14-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 with $5,000 DDF by Kerry Witkin of the Rotary Club of Encinitas, District 5340.

14-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 with $5,000 DDF by Kerry Witkin of the Rotary Club of Encinitas, District 5340.

14-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 with $5,000 DDF by Katie Cooney of the Rotary Club of East Palo Alto Bayshore, District 5170.

18-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Project reverted to "Published".

18-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Pledge of $3,000 by Roger Haines of the Rotary Club of San Diego, District 5340.

18-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".

18-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 with $5,000 DDF by Steven Becker of the Rotary Club of East Palo Alto Bayshore, District 5170.

26-May-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Pledge of $1,500 by Jeff Johnson of the Rotary Club of Bonsall, District 5340.

2-Jul-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Project reverted to "Published".

2-Jul-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".

2-Jul-21

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Application Sent to The Rotary Foundation through Member Access.

16-Sep-21

by Judith Rowles

The Grant Authorization process has taken longer than anticipated as the Ugandan District changed after we submitted our application. The District has now reviewed our application and advised about changes to the Cooperating Organization MOU. We have revised that and it is out for signature. Hope to have the new MOU substituted appended and authorizations obtained within the week.

16-Dec-21

by Judith Rowles

The project application is now fully authorized and being reviewed by Rotary International. We are optimistic that it will be approved soon. A bank account to administer the grant is being set up now in Uganda per request of Rotary International.

5-Jan-22

by Judith Rowles

We are still waiting for approval from Rotary International. At this time have requested that host club Kampala Naguru Rotary establish a dedicated bank account pending approval of the grant.

21-Mar-22

by Janice Kurth

System Entry: Application approved by The Rotary Foundation.

16-Aug-22

by Judith Rowles

This Grant is ongoing. Since approval we received $1K from a donor which was added. Another change occurred because of a Ugandan re-districting of its Health Units. As a result, the 3 remaining original grant districts only have 99 HUs. We have finished distributing equipment to most of the HUs in the 3 remaining districts. The funds expended which includes equipment procurement, distribution, & training costs will total about $51K. About $40K left of the original grant will remain. With the approval of RI, we are redirecting the remaining funds as follows:

-$28,000 to the Luwero District, this will add another 35 HUs and will take the total number of Districts served to 134.

-$12,000 to replace or provide maintenance for vital signs equipment that Bulamu previously provided to 8 HUs.

2-May-23

by Judith Rowles

Status Update: The last of the vital signs equipment was distributed and monitoring and evaluation was recently completed. We are in the process of preparing the final report.

2-Aug-23

by Judith Rowles

Project is complete and final report has been submitted. Host and International club participants have signed.

2-Aug-23

by Janice Kurth

System Entry: Payment has been issued by The Rotary Foundation.

2-Aug-23

by Janice Kurth

System Entry: Final Report sent to The Rotary Foundation.

16-Oct-23

by Judith Rowles

System Entry: Final Report approved by The Rotary Foundation.

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