Founder's Inauguration Speech

Introductions

I would like to introduce my family.

I would like to introduce the team that will be managing this unit:

The Health Unit Management Committee

Committee Members

Please allow me to break the protocol and start with thanking Rubanda District for allowing us to establish this Health centre in the District led by Dr. Abdon Birungi and the team who welcomed the idea and supported us so much, without his support all this would not have been possible.

Introduction / Background

FLORENCE MUBONEHE MEMORIAL MEDICAL Centre was established in 2023 with a medical camp that was conducted on 9/10/2023.

The Family of Late Florence Mubonehe of Kyabahinga, Kagarama, Bubare Rubanda district in partnership with Rubanda District, would like to welcome you all. Florence served as a medical worker at Bwama hospital and later moved on to Kabale Regional hospital where she served for 49 years. She had no formal education but learned on job as she attended to her patients.

This centre is 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) from Kabale town where a major Regional referral hospital is located. The nearby public health centers are at Kagarama, Kabire and Kyinyi. Having these centres miles away for the community, it was established to serve the vulnerable people who find it difficult to access medical facilities.

A little bit of history of Lake Bunyonyi for those who don't know, it was formed 18000 years ago according to Wikipedia by a volcanic eruption blocking a valley in Ruchiga mountains near Muko. The Lake is about 22Km long and 6km widest.

Objectives

• The main aim of Florence Memorial centre is to provide healthcare services and education to underserved and the remote communities. The focus is to provide preventive care, health screenings and health education to promote overall well-being and disease prevention.
• To further assess the medical needs of the community and surrounding communities.
• To increase access to disease prevention and treatment services to community members.
• To increase awareness in the community about the need to seek medical care.
• To work collaboratively with the government on rural health and development of best practice models by providing outpatient primary care services, basic laboratory services, and be able to provide first response services to common life-threatening injuries and acute illnesses.
• Collaborate with international partners with the same vision.
• To work with the government to ensure that relevant education, training VHT's programmes are available to equip health and social care staff, nurses and doctors with the skills and knowledge required to deliver high quality care in Kyabahinga community and beyond.

Vision & Mission

Vision: To become a world-leading non profitable organisation in rural health and social care, research, training, recruitment and best care practice involving health insurance groups, schools and communities. We are an interdenominational organisation.

Mission: Save a life at Lake Bunyonyi Community

Aim: The aim is to bring health services closer to the lowest community and have a wide range of treatments and services more accessible to nearby rural population.

Our Approach:

• It will be conducting medical outreaches and medical camps health education and community sensitisation to the community.
• MOBILISATION.
• The Florence Mubonehe memorial centre will implement its objectives through the partnership of Rubanda district and healthy workers from different healthy centres including Kabale Regional referral hospital, Kinyi Health centre, Kagarama healthy center II and Hamurwa healthy center III. Community mobilization will be made possible by local council committees of the villages around, community volunteers, health teams and VHT's.
• The statistics indicate that Rubanda district was ranked the top in Kigezi subregion achieving 80.2% in health sector demonstrating the care and support for their community according to Financial year 2021/2022 Report.

Future Plan

As a management we shall strive to partner with the government to foster intended health outcomes in line with government policies.

There will be integration of health services, all services will be provided on site including dental services, delivery services, scan services and maternity care services.

We plan to have medical specialist in proceeding medical camps like paediatricians' surgeon's gynaecologist visiting every 3 months.

Each household to have a lifesaving jacket to the communities around the lake.

• Through cost sharing the community Will contribute a small percentage to enable us buy drugs and keep functioning to their level and participate like LC1 and VHT's. To provide primary medical care and preventive care, for example prenatal, perinatal and immunisation facilities with the help of the government, paediatric screening and family planning services. Other services including screening for diabetes, hypertension HIV/Aids at a free or low -cost prescriptions.

Challenges

There are several challenges facing delivery of health care around Lake Bunyonyi including older populations, larger distances to cover and poor connectivity of both transport and telecommunication.

The Vulnerable patients reside on the peninsula hence making it difficult to access the health service. Accessibility in terms of transport is only the Boat which I would like to request the government to look into. This is a health centre with insufficient infrastructure to accommodate the patients, as well as sanitation facilities. Some medicines and medical supplies will not be enough hence there is a need for government to support the centre. Due to the high demand of medical facilities, we have put up a structure to continue running these camps in the future. Your presence and support in this will be much appreciated. We have constructed a small structure, but there is still need for staff accommodation for Nurses and a midwife.

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you to contribute to this cause to serve our community with the little that you have.

I would like to thank, my family, Kate Perryman Smith who run and swimming 22km same km for this Lake to raise funds for building this centre, Hanna Bapty, from Bristol for fundraising and Diana and John Perryman for supporting this project Margaret McClean from Scotland for support and networking, Julie and Karen, Arineitwe Ruth for all the hard work. Finally Lilian Kamusiime a friend that shared my vision from the start without her encouragement, I would never have started, I know when things were tough and there seems no light at the end of the tunnel, she was always on the line when I needed support and someone to talk too.