Health Centre turned into furniture store

Past the moving faces of kobs, lions, warthogs and elephants scattered throughout Queen Elizabeth National park in Kasese District, one cannot miss a signpost showing Kahendero landing site.

The narrow winding road leading there is just one of the many indicators of a community disconnected from the world. The other is Kahendero Health Centre II. Located 10KM off Kasese main road, it stands out as a two roomed building bolted with dark grey padlocks. There is nothing to warn a visitor that that the five year old health centre is now a furniture store.

Kahendero Health Centre II on the outside

It has been this way since its construction in 2008 according to the fishing community here.  

“Can you imagine we even close it with padlocks because it is now a store for people’s building materials and furniture!” ranted Musa Lukwago the chairman of the beach management unit of Kahendero village. 

The meant to be consulation room is now a store for furniture and plastic chairs

On the inside, stains of yellow paint severely scratched off the walls hint at the centre’s first beauty. Cobwebs cover the corners of the doors leading to the meant to be consultancy and treatment rooms. Dust swirled around the room as I made my way inside jumping over plastic blue chairs and iron sheets. The meant to be medicine cabin lay shattered on the floor and a loser look revealed unused garden forks and hoes.

The only hospital bed available carries wood plunks. Residents testify that the centre cost Shs 12m to construct.

For the over 4000 people living in this site, access to medicine and medical care is a far cry.

“When we become sick, we either have to go to Kagondo, Kilembe or Kasese hospitals that are about 13, 14 and 11 kilometres away. Many are reluctant to seek medical help because of limited transport,” Rehema Hakim, a village health team volunteer said.

She adds that Antiretroviral and anti-malarial drugs are most needed in this community because of the high prevalence levels of HIV/Aids and malaria. According to her statistics as of press time, 101 women and 60 men are living with HIV. A 2012 study conducted by the Uganda Fisheries and Fish conservation Association (UFFCA) revealed that HIV prevalence among fishing communities around Lake George and Edward increased to 22% compared to 19% in 2011.

Transactional sex was reported to be very common and the payment methods took various forms including fish for sex, shoes and alcohol and the overall mean age for the first sexual debut was 13 years. This prevalence is higher among the females because of multiple sexual partners-with one respondent mentioning 12 partners and only 13% of the 468 respondents used a condom every time they are going to have sex.

“Some of the reasons given for non condom use include lack of time, compromised sexual pleasure for both parties, no receptacle for disposal and their non acceptability in ritual sex,” the report findings read.

Hakim however says the complacency of Aids being another disease has settled in among the population so much so that some; especially men do not want to get treatment.

Three men have succumbed to HIV since the beginning of this year.

The treatment room being used as a store for wood plunks and iron sheets

“Lack of access to services and traditional social support networks in fishing villages means that people living with HIV who are too ill to work have to keep at their homes. This has implications for the spread of HIV and increases the number of people experiencing the impact of Aids,” Seremos Kamuturaki, the executive director of UFFCA said.

He urges government to establish a functional, well equipped and staffed health facility in Kahendero village. Another appeal is for government to economically empower the communities with other means of livelihood to avoid problems related to transactional sex.