Problem
Whereas the national HIV prevalence
is estimated at 6.7%, Kampala’s
prevalence rate among adults aged
15-49 years is estimated at 8.5%
- STD/AIDS Control Program, Min.
of Health, …Trends on ART
access in Uganda (June 2004 to
April 2007)
Pictures:
Artist's Impression of the Proposed
MRC
Below are Architectural Designs
for the resource center
Purpose
The purpose of
the MRC is stakeholders in Kampala
district enjoying improved HIV/AIDS
health care service delivery by
increasing local access to the
updated information, care and
support resources.
The Goal of the MRC is to
eradicate HIV/AIDS among vulnerable
communities in Kampala and surrounding
areas.
The facility will
cater for a variety of activities
ranging from HIV prevention interventions
to rehabilitation of the HIV infected
and affected people. The following
departments will be housed in
the facility; laboratory and diagnostics
department, counselling and psychosocial
support, spiritual healing, library
and book centre, IT and E-learning,
training and conference centre,
physiotherapy, cafeteria and administration.
People
& Coverage: Research Findings
from HCU (2007)
Of the 117 respondents interviewed
within Kampala and the neighbouring
areas, 93 that is 79.4% were not
aware of any provision within
Kampala and its neighbourhood
where up-to-date information on
HIV/AIDS could be accessed, 5
that is 4.27% cited the AIDS Information
Centre (AIC), 3 that is 2.56%
cited the Joint Clinical Research
Centre (JCRC) of which 2 claimed
JCRC is not strategically located
for easy access, 2 that is 1.7%
cited The AIDS Support Organisation
(TASO), 2 that is 1.7% expressed
ignorance about Kampala and its
surrounding areas, while 11 that
is 9.4% were not willing to comment.
The above findings obligated
us to propose the establishment
of a Multipurpose Resource Centre.
This will be a four floor facility
strategically located in the city
centre of Kampala to act as a
clearing house for HIV/AIDS information
in Uganda.
The proposed facility will house
the following departments; IT
and E-learning, modern laboratory
and diagnostics department, library
and book centre, spiritual healing
department, training and conference
centre, physiotherapy, cafeteria
and administration. To bridge
the enormous knowledge gap and
expand access to existing prevention
tools, Humanitarian Care Uganda
needs your support.
The direct target area is Kampala
district and surrounding areas.
Being the the Capital City, the
facility in Kampala will feed
the whole of Uganda (approx. 30.9
million) in particular and the
East African Federation (Kenya,
Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi)
with its online capabilities.
Period
The lifespan of the multi-phase
program is 5 years with three
phases: Phase I: Setup
and Establishment, Phase II: Modernisation
& Scaling up, and Phase II: Advanced
Medical Support services
Partners
The partners in development in
line with this program are yet
to be got. Currently, local authorities
are pledging support for the multi-million
dollar facility.
A number of reasons have been
advanced for this high HIV prevalence
rate in Kampala and the neighbouring
areas. They range from; the misconception
that there is a cure for HIV/AIDS,
poverty, the low uptake of prevention
of mother to child transmission
of HIV (PMTCT) services, gender
inequality, stigma and discrimination
of people infected and affected
with HIV/AIDS, limited utilisation
of voluntary counselling and testing
(VCT) services, the inadequate
prevention strategies, the information
and knowledge gap among others.
The need to address these gaps
compelled Humanitarian Care Uganda
to get involved in a survey on
the accessibility of the Kampala
population to up-to-date prevention
strategies and information on
HIV/AIDS, as it emerges.
