Browsing by Author "Rwabukwali, Charles B."

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    Primary school children’s perspectives on common diseases and medicines used: implications for school healthcare programmes and priority setting in Uganda
    (African health sciences, 2007) Akello, Grace; Reis, Ria; Ovuga, Emilio; Rwabukwali, Charles B.; Kabonesa, Consolata; Richters, Annemiek
    Existing school health programmes in Uganda target children above five years for de-worming, oral hygiene and frequent vaccination of girls of reproductive age. Objective: To assess primary school children’s perspectives on common diseases they experience and medicines used in order to suggest reforms for school healthcare programmes and priority setting. Methods: Rapid appraisal approaches, triangulated with a survey, using a semi-structured questionnaire with 80 children aged 8-15 years, were used in data collection. This was done during a three months fieldwork in one primary boarding school in Kampala. An investigation was made into perspectives of children on their recent illness experiences and medicines they used to recover. Other techniques in data collection included participant observation and eliciting children’s narratives of diseases they experienced in a two weeks recall. Key informants, who included school teachers, a nurse, 2 paediatricians, 4 matrons and private health service providers in the vicinity of the school, were approached to validate children’s narratives. Results: Children named and ranked malaria as the most severe and frequently experienced disease. Other diseases mentioned included diarrhoea, skin fungal infections, flu, and typhoid. The symptoms children recognised in case of illness were high body temperature, vomiting, headache, weakness, appetite loss and diarrhoea. Children were either given medicines by the school nurse or they selfmedicated using pharmaceuticals including chloroquine, panadol, flagyl, fansidar, quinine injections, capsules (amoxicillin and ampicillin) obtained from the clinics, drug shops, pharmacies, and other unspecified indigenous medicines from their home and markets. Conclusion: The healthcare needs and priorities of children in primary school are infectious diseases which they could readily identify.
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    The role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in healthcare delivery system: A case study of child immunization in Kabarole district, Uganda
    (Health, 2013) Kankya, Clovice; Akandinda, Annah; Rwabukwali, Charles B.
    The importance of civil society organisations in health care delivery systems can- not be under-rated in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing nations worldwide. Civil society organisations play a central role in service delivery and development of democracy. How- ever, little is known about the roles and achievements of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in healthcare. The study aimed at exploring the role of civil society organisations in health care delivery system particularly in children immunization. Methods: A questionnaire survey involving 282 households was conducted. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics followed by multi variable logistic regression. Results: Ninety seven percent (97%) confirmed that CSOs/NGOs healthcare facilities played a major role in health- care service delivery. 84% traveled long distances to access the healthcare services including child immunization services. Travelling long distances (>2 km) to access for health care services including immunization compared to short distance (<1 km) (OR = 0.4, P = 0.0001), possessing a food stores (enguli) compared to not having a food store (enguli) (OR = 2.3, P = 0.002), having separate animal houses compared to not having livestock houses (OR = 0.09, P = 0.0001), and owning a bicycle compared to not having a bicycle (OR = 2.2, P = 0.005) are important determinants for the number of clients at CSO health centers. Further, possessing and using a cellphone compared to no cellphone (OR = 3.7, P = 0.001), Possessing and watching a television compared to not having a television (OR = 2.4, P = 0.002), educated compared to not acquiring any formal education (OR = 0.084, P = 0.0001), and female compared to male respondent (OR = 0.49, P = 0.0045) are other most important factors likely to determine the numbers of clients at the CSO healthcare. Conclusion: Geographies of CSO and community socioeconomic strongly determine the operations and the roles played by the CSO healthcare services in Uganda. Further studies to assess the role of CSO health service providers in other healthcare services need to be done.