Tackling the accommodations crisis
By Ndinawe J.B. Kateera, Director of Road to Care
For a long time, cancer patients going to Uganda Cancer Institute for chemoradiation and other oncological services have been grappling with an exponential accommodation crisis. Lack of adequate space for accommodating patients seeking care is one of the major bottlenecks towards achieving better health outcomes. The Uganda Cancer Institute can hardly accommodate 20% of their total patient numbers. This leaves a multitude of such patients stranded around the hospital compound subject to the open weather; a situation that further worsens their debilitated health conditions.
The crisis was so dire that in 2022, UCI erected a tent to accommodate these patients, but this tent was also overwhelmed by the huge numbers. Alas, it also had inadequacies like lack of proper sanitation facilities, lack of privacy and coldness notwithstanding.
Facing such a huge challenge, the board of Road to Care mooted an idea of purchasing a second building to provide accommodation for these patients. We searched for months, aiming to find a suitable sized building that was within walking distance to the Uganda Cancer Institute.
We purchased this second property in 2022 located 1.5 km from UCI, sitting on a quarter of an acre at a cost of 504 million shillings (190,188 CAD) and renovated and refurbished it for 75 million shillings (28,301 CAD). This second hostel can accommodate 25 patients and their caretakers at a time.
As soon as the second hostel opened in October 2022, patients undergoing curative treatment for cervical cancer were transferred from the tent and from various locations on the hospital compound into the hostel.
As of now, we have controlled the accommodation crisis; between our two hostels, we can handle more than 40 patients and their caretakers at any given time!
Our great and abundant thanks go to all the people of good will that raised funds and facilitated the acquisition of this space that helps us to serve these patients in great need.
May you be blessed very much!
Sincerely,
Ndinawe J.B. Kateera