Bundibugyo hospital is situated at a very volatile location, at the border of Uganda with the Democratic Republic of Congo. This means that they receive patients from across the borders that often times pause great risk to the medical staff of the hospital.

As was the case in 2008, they were badly hit by Ebola that took with it about 5 staff members. The need to build their capacity to handle complex cases was something they had wanted for a very long time but  unfortunately resources were insufficient.

 And then came Enabel, with its capacity building project the Support to the Development of Human Resources (SDHR)project. “We have received many courses both long term and short term ranging from leadership and governance, strategic planning, Monitoring and evaluation, and many others.” Francis Ndahura testifies.

 Francis Ndahura is himself a long time scholarship beneficiary of the project. He pursued a post graduate diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation at Mountains of the Moon University and with this acquired knowledge he has been able to draw a 5 year strategic plan for the hospital that was part of the action plans SDHR project tasked them to do. Internal processes in drug tracking have greatly at the hospital ever since he finished his course.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) visited the hospital and were impressed with the way the hospital is operating. The hospital has set up a minor theatre at the hospital as part of their action plans after receiving a training in emergency care from the SDHR project. Their laboratory is also now able to carry out all kinds of tests including culture and sensitivity. This is a test carried out to detect  different kinds of bacteria in a given sample.                  

 Ejoku Emmanuel a lab technician at Bundibudgyo hospital also received a scholarship from the SDHR project and pursued a bachelors degree in Medical laboratory science. “The knowledge gap I had has been bridged” he testifies. The hospital laboratory for a long time suffered insufficient staffing with only 4 lab attendants and yet they attend to over 150 patients on a daily basis. This was a major challenge. However, ever since he returned from his studies the performance of the hospital laboratory has significantly improved from about 40% to 98%. “Your investment was not for nothing,’’ he speaks about the project happily. He has since been appointed the laboratory quality manager as well as the district laboratory focal person for the whole of Bundibugyo .

Many more staff have also benefited from the project trainings and as such they have only gratitude for Enabel. Muhindo Samuel was also sponsored to pursue a course in Sonography at Mengo Hospital. He is now the hospital sonographer from a nursing officer. “There was no sonographer at the hospital before my course. Now I am proud to be the only sonographer at Bundibugyo hospital ,” he proudly states.