FOR $10 HELP REFUGEES HOST COMMUNITIES IN UGANDA

Kigezi Healthcare Foundation has conducted ten clinics along the Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo Boarder. This is aimed at helping Ugandans at the Boarder and the Congolese displaced by internal conflicts to access affordable Healthcare. The average number of People seen per clinic is about 300.

Long-standing conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have caused mass displacement for decades – and the violence is intensifying. With 6.9 million people forced to flee their homes in search of safety, it continues to be one of the largest displacement crises in the world. Civilians are driven to flee time and again as fighting rages in the eastern provinces. Each time people move, they become more vulnerable. Large numbers have fled into neighboring Uganda, which, as of April 2024, hosts about 1.62 million refugees and asylum seekers from DR Congo and elsewhere. Once in Uganda, Congolese people escaping violence are granted refugee status. They are processed in transit centres and then moved to village-like settlements where they receive land and some money. Many Congolese people first camp on the Congo side of the boarder as internally displaced people before crossing over to the Ugandan side of the Boarder.

Kigezi Healthcare foundation organized a stakeholder engagement with about 30 district leaders in the refugee hosting district of Madi Okollo to assess the progress of the existing service delivery and also identify gaps that could help the partners to better deliver services to the rural communities. The engagement focused more on the identification of critical areas that need urgent attention especially health care to the most vulnerable communities using the mobile clinic approach.

In Uganda, refugees face significant barriers to healthcare access. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the experience of migration is a key determinat of health, yet refugees remain among the most vulnerable groups due to discrimination, poor living conditions, and limited access to health services. Common health issues among Uganda’s refugee population include upper respiratory tract infections (23%), malaria (19%), and lower respiratory tract infections (7%). Non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions, though less prevalent, are growing concerns. Other health challenges include skin conditions and gastrointestinal illnesses caused by inadequate washing facilities and poor sanitation.

Among Ugandan refugees, the leading causes of illness remained upper respiratory tract infection (23%), malaria (19 %) and lower respiratory tract infection (7%). Non-communicable diseases accounted for 5% of consultations while mental health services made up 2 per cent. Other common health conditions seen in refugee camps include hypothermia, burns and gastrointestinal illnesses. Skin conditions, including scabies, and the spread of parasites due to a lack of washing facilities and clean bedding are widely reported

 Both refugees and host communities face significant health challenges including widespread communicable diseases like malaria and upper respiratory tract infections, poor sanitation-related issues like skin diseases and gastrointestinal illnesses, inadequate access to mental health services, malnutrition, and a strain on already overstretched healthcare facilities due to large refugee populations, all exacerbated by limited resources and funding shortages.