CFYDDI at the First “Patients for Patient Safety” (PFPS) Country Workshop

with focus on the specific patient safety challenges that patients, health-care professionals and policy-makers face in Uganda.

Stakeholders that participated in the patient safety meeting

Kampala, 10th November 2015:  With support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Community Health and Information Network (CHAIN) convened a stakeholders meeting on Patient Safety at Mulago Hospital Guest House  bringing  together  over  sixty (60) key healthcare stakeholders  including; Ministry of Health, WHO, National Drug Authority, Medical Access, Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB) , patient and consumer organizations, health care professionals, Village health teams and the media. The workshop aimed at raising awareness on patient safety and the importance of patient and community involvement in healthcare services and improvement initiatives.

The 3-day meeting discussed issues concerning patient safety and health-care quality and brainstorm ways to incorporate patients and communities’ perspectives in efforts to address health-care challenges. The meeting also highlighted the recognition by the Ministry of Health of the importance of patient and family engagement and it signifies its commitment to bringing the people’s voice to the national health-care system and services.

Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Director of Health Services in charge of Planning and Development at the Ministry of Health represented the Honorable Minister of Health Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye at the meeting as the Guest of Honour.  He noted that globally, patient safety is a major public health concern whose progress requires global and national leadership, concerted efforts and commitment to learning, especially from errors and patient experiences.

Dr. Mwebesa also said that health care delivery process contains some risks and challenges and adverse events related to clinical practice, procedures and medical products can occur. He further affirmed Uganda’s commitment to ensuring the importance of patient safety is upheld in the health service delivery system. .

Dr. Juliet Bataringaya, the Health Systems Advisor at the WHO Uganda country office represented the WHO Country Representative at the meeting. She said that the work of WHO is aimed at ensuring positive patient experiences and improved health outcomes. She noted that one of the areas that still poses a challenge is health-care-associated infections which occur frequently in health-care delivery in both developed and developing countries. Dr. Julie highlighted the risk of acquiring health care-associated infections as significantly higher in intensive care units (ICUs), with approximately 30% of patients affected by at least one episode of health care-associated infections with substantial associated morbidity and mortality. In this regard, WHO launched the First Global Patient Safety Challenge, Clean Care is Safer Care in October 2005 and it targeted the important aspect of reducing health care-associated infections which is hand hygiene. The program has registered tremendous success with more than 130 member states making a commitment to promote hand hygiene within the health-care setting.

Health care workers, patients and the community have an important role to play in the promotion of hand hygiene and the patient safety advocates should carry this message to members of the public.

 

Ms. Nittita Prasopoa Palizier above the Program Manager and Technical Lead; Patients for Patient Safety at WHO Headquarters also made a presentation on the WHO perspective in engaging patients in health care. She said that patients are important in the process of administering health care because they witness every process and as such health workers ought to seek information from them. Ms. Nittita having underscored the importance of patient safety, further said that it is imperative for health workers to understand that patients have rights to; information, access their medical records and be involved in the decision making process.

The stakeholders present at the meeting included representatives of the Ministry of Health, Academia, health professionals, health workers from hospitals and health centers in the districts, community health workers, civil society organizations, members of the Uganda Alliance for Patient Safety, advocates from the Patients for Patient Safety (PFPS) Programme in WHO/HQ and the media.

CFYDDI at World Aids Day 2015!

December 1^st marks World Aids Day. As a part of CFYDDI’s continued commitment to sexual health and reproductive education, representatives from the Centre attended this year’s 2015 World Aids Day Commemoration Celebration, which brought together service providers, medical personnel, political and religious leaders, and the young and old at the Nakiwoko landing site Wakiso district.

Despite the heavy downpour that engulfed the region in the morning, the sky eventually cleared and a parade led by a marching band weaved its way through the market from the mayor’s garden in Entebbe Municipality to the landing site. A moment of silence was held in remembrance of our friends who have lost their lives as a result of the illness. Moving testimonies from people living with HIV/AIDS as well as encouraging messages from various speakers took place. Throughout the event, services such as free condom distribution, HIV status testing, and circumcision were offered on site by professionals in their respected fields.

Prossy and Courtney from CFYDDI During the Opening Ceremonies Parade

The Wakiso District Medical Officer, Dr. Kagwire, called upon civil society organizations to both continue and scale up the effort in addressing the challenges of the district. He noted that the Wakiso District has the largest population in the country but receives the same amount of money sent to health centres across the country. To add to this financial challenge, Wakiso health services and centres are located across far distances, making access to them challenging to the public. Given the high HIV prevalence in Wakiso District and in particular Nakiwoko Market landing site, a fishing community with the most at risk population including boda boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers, commercial sex workers, and fishermen, made this locale even more suitable for the event as it would target those most at risk.

Dr. Apuuli Muhumulowho, board member from the Global Fund for East and Southern Africa, speaks at the celebrations.

Testimony from people both directly and indirectly affected by AIDS was heard while awareness groups and school children performed songs and skits raising consciousness regarding stigma. Speeches from leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS were also given. Former Executive Director of the Uganda AIDS Commission, Dr. David Livingstone Kihumuro Apuuli, noted that “as Uganda, we have up to 850,000 people on treatment out of approximately 1.5 million who are estimated to be HIV positive. There are a lot of these people who are HIV positive, but they don’t know because they have not gone to be tested.”

In closing, the celebration called upon the wider community to take the issue of HIV/AIDS seriously and increase efforts in the fight against the epidemic which continues to spread throughout the country.

Young Heroes

The Year-End Global Giving Campaign has begun and CFYDDI has started its fundraising efforts with only 28 more days to go! You can find  the project here: www.globalgiving.org/15365

Young Heroes at Echo Bay United Church North Ontario, Canada

Kindly meet our Young Champions at the Echo Bay United Church in Northern Ontario, Canada. Thanks to their generous donation, they are making a difference in the lives of fellow children half-way around the world!

Children at the Echo Bay United Church put their efforts together to support children miles away in Uganda. These young heroes were introduced to the Global Giving Campaign through Courtney Vaughan, who attended the same Sunday school as a child. Courtney sent out a call to action to her friends, family, and colleagues, and the Echo Bay Sunday School responded!

The children at the Echo Bay United Church organized a tea and bake sale, raising approximately $100USD for their Ugandan peers. The funds will go towards promoting children’s social well-being at CFYDDI’s Youth Centre: furnishing the youth and children’s social centre with children’s chairs and tables, paying caretakers, buying toys and toothbrushes for children, and bringing children together for an end of the year Christmas party in this rural area for the first time!

These children’s contributions are an incredibly powerful gesture. Not only does it speak to the human desire to do good for our sisters and brothers, but it is also a testament to the will and power of children. We often undermine the ability of children to empathize and enact change. This gesture proves that given the opportunity, the tools, and the encouragement, children have the incredible potential to be agents of change in the world.

The children and youth at the Center for Youth Driven Development Initiatives (CFYDDI) are fortunate to have such dedicated, giving, and compassionate Young Heroes raising funds and awareness on their behalf.

Children at their happiest moment at CFYDDI Youth Center

But they don’t have to be the only ones. You can be a Young Champion too! You can even create your own fundraiser altogether! Our Young Champions surprised us with their creative ways of fundraising for the children that we serve in Uganda! We are always thrilled to meet more Young Champions and we are so grateful for all of the amazing people who make a difference in the lives of others every day.

Want to join in the Holiday spirit and get involved? Here’s how!

The campaign began on December 1st at 12:01am EST and will end on the 31^st of December, 2015. with this project: www.globalgiving.org/15365

• Donate! Only donations made online or by check to the above project will count for the Year-End Campaign.
• Nine bonus prizes will be rewarded for the projects with the most dollars raised between December 1st and December 31st. Only organizations that raise at least $3,000 from at least 30 donors will be eligible for a prize.

Create Your Own Fundraiser!

• Donate in memory of loved ones and share your story
• Buy and sell balloon animals to friends, family, and neighbours and donate the proceeds
• Host a tea and bake sale and donate the proceeds
• Send in small change from piggy banks
• Host an end of year Christmas benefit concert on behalf of CFYDDI’s children and youth
• Donate as a Boy Scout Troop, Girl Scout Troop, Sunday school, or as a School Classroom
• Host a rummage sale and donate the proceeds

Rural Children can too have a brighter future!

“If you are passionate about something, tell others about it! Live and breathe it! Figure out a plan to help the initiative you are passionate about and just do it”!

CFYDDI wishes to thank any initiative taken and any support given!

“Let’s listen to our children, and treat them with Kindness and support them to take their medications”

This was the one voice from CFYDDI advocacy director during the World AIDS Day 2015 Pre- Event while Launching Arrow Graphic Novels Book Club with Young people.

This was the one voice from CFYDDI advocacy director during the World AIDS Day 2015 Pre- Event while Launching Arrow Graphic Novels Book Club with Young people.

The Book donated to CFYDDI by the Joint Clinical Research Centre has a story based on the life of young people living with HIV in Uganda. In the book, the protagonist of the story, Kristina, and her journey as she navigates life with HIV. She finds her questions on HIV are often left unanswered, as most discussion on HIV focuses on prevention.

Youth Discussing Kristins’s Story

Focusing on this year’s theme: “Getting to Zero, My Responsibility”. Seventeen youth guided by the advocacy director Prossy together analyzed and discusses Kristina’s Story.

The young people drew valuable lesson from the discussions which would help them act in their roles more effectively. They reflected on the stigma that exists about being HIV positive, and how that makes it difficult for those who are HIV positive to access information about health.

They also reflected on the shared responsibility on reaching and sharing with their fellow peers about the best practices to stay negative but also how to stay healthy if you are positive. As well, the group learned the importance of supporting those who are HIV positive, and sought to embrace and help those who are living positively without discriminating or using discriminatory language. The discussion also reaffirmed the importance of their roles as adolescents, one young person said, “Reading story books on particular themes and having group discussion is so phenomenal as it brings deeper understanding for the discussions.” The youth are looking forward to more Group book discussion: “Madina in her own realization said “I never knew that my responsibility is so vast”! We need to tell people this information; many adolescents are suffering and they don’t know what is going in the lives of other young people. Now we have the opportunity to know, so we have to tell others.”

Enoch Clearly puts out the book titles and children remind us all to learn with them!