Jhpiego reconfirms commitment to Uganda as it renovates Wakiso health centre

Dr. Leslie Mancuso Jhpiego’ s president and CEO together with the Senior Vice President and head of Global Programs Dr Alain Damiba visited Uganda to consolidate business relationship between Jhpiego, government line ministries and local governments and other institutions Jhpiego has worked with over the past decade.

Some of the highlights of her visit were to a Mukono Health Center IV, where Jhpiego is strengthening health systems for delivery of reproductive maternal newborn health and adolescent care, including Malaria in Pregnancy.

While in Mukono, Dr Leslie held business meeting with the Mayor and Council of Mukono Municipality, which has been partnering with Jhpiego to scale up family planning services to the urban poor through the Challenge Initiative Project (TCI).

The second highlight of her visit was to officially open the reproductive health Unit at Wakiso Health Center IV, This facility is undergoing a 72-hour makeover, a renovation that will elevate it to recommended national standards. Consequently, this face-lift will provide a conducive and positive environment for service providers to work and for AYSRH and for women to receive family planning services.

Which has been renovated using the Jhpiego 72 hour makeover approach. The 72-Hour Makeover brings mental makeover as well as physical makeover to the facilities and communities. Stakeholders from the local government are invariably amazed at the transformation that is achieved in three days and often wish to replicate the intervention. Following the 72-hour clinic makeover, beneficiary communities led by the Quality Improvement Teams have an increased sense of responsibility and ownership of the facilities.

Jhpiego has worked in Uganda for more than 30 years, beginning in the early 1980s with a project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to train faculty from Makerere University’s Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology in reproductive health.

In the late 1990s, Jhpiego focused on increasing the capacity of the Ugandan nursing, midwifery, clinical officer and medical schools under the USAID-funded Delivery of Improved Services for Health Project. Jhpiego also helped establish the Regional Center for Quality of Health Care in Uganda and has worked with large hospitals and Midwifery training institutions strengthening health systems and supporting pre –service training institutions. Jhpiego currently has presence in about 52 districts of Uganda, focused on maternal and child health, adolescent health, malaria prevention and care and Family planning.

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