In the wake of the pandemic, the Ministry of Health communicated that border districts were the most high-risk areas due to cross-border traffic and the high infection rate in their communities.

With the situation set to get worse according to the Ministry’s COVID-19 modelling, WaterAid Uganda doubled down support for WASH service provision to selected health care facilities in those border districts.

In support of the Ministry of Health, a rapid healthcare facility assessment was conducted to determine the WASH status of over 54 facilities in the high-risk border districts including nine in Amuru, 12 in Kyotera, nine in Busia and 24 in Tororo.

The districts shared borders with South Sudan, Tanzania, and Kenya respectively

Key findings

Some of key findings from the assessment include:

Water

  • 5.6% of the healthcare facilities main water source was not improved
  • 14.8% of the main water sources were located outside the facility premises
  • 33.3% of the healthcare facilities did not always have water accessible to staff

Sanitation

  • More than half, 51.9% of the healthcare facilities did not have latrine stances that met the needs of people with reduced mobility.
  • 85.2% of the healthcare facilities did not have menstrual hygiene facilities in the toilet/latrines

Hygiene

  • 14.8% did not have a functional hand washing facility with water and soap/ sanitizer at all points of care in the HCF.
  • 24.1 did not have a functional hand washing facility within 5 meters of existing toilet blocks

Waste management

  • 90.7% of the healthcare facilities did not have a functional incinerator

IPC/WASH

  • 46.3% of the healthcare facilities did not have a functional IPC committee
  • 53.7% did not have IPC committees supported by budget lines

Environmental Cleanliness

  • 64.8% of the healthcare facilities did not have visible cleaning roster or schedule

Data-driven Interventions

Among other interventions, we used the data to inform our decisions to install a Mak VI bulk-load health care waste incinerator. We constructed an ash pit, placenta pit, waste shed, tools store and fenced the incineration area.

Secondly, we constructed a water borne toilet (block 2) with 2 normal stance toilets, a PWD inclusive unit, two showers and a urinal stance with two bowels for males attending the IPD and OPD plus three stance toilets for female staff.

Next, we constructed of a water borne toilet (block 1) with 2 Normal stance toilets, a PWD Inclusive unit and two Showers and a changing room for females in attending the IPD and OPD plus two stance toilets for male staff.

Lastly, we worked with the Ministry of Health and the Kampala Capital City Authority to offer basic WASH intervention for COVID-19 prevention/control interventions for example, designing and airing impactful awareness messages through national media, and providing handwashing facilities containing foot paddles with soap installed at the entrances of 60 public markets in Kampala city.