Our work on infection prevention focuses on nosocomial (= hospital acquired) infections. Not only the patients are at risk, but also the healthcare providers and visitors. Hospital infections are the most common complications of hospitalisation. The WHO estimates that the risk of nosocomial infections is 20 times higher in developing countries than in developed countries. The consequences of such infections are not only a threat to individual patient safety, but also to (inter)national public health. For the patient, there is a risk of permanent damage or death from an infection, longer hospital stays and higher costs for the patient and his family. The risk to public health is the rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant germs. It remains difficult to correctly identify the risk, but it is clear that infection prevention remains a priority challenge for healthcare. Daktari Project vzw supports Kilembe Mines Hospital through a number of concrete projects that have a direct and scientifically proven effect on infection prevention.
Maternity
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that around 717 000 babies die each year worldwide at birth (e.g. from inability to breathe immediately after giving birth). In Uganda, the neonatal mortality rate is 19.9 per 1000 live births in 2018. In Belgium, this is 2.16 per 1000 live births in 2015. One of the Daktari Project educational projects is training midwives and nurses of the Kilembe Mines Hospital in the essential skills of CPR and newborn support. We want to help reduce neonatal mortality in and around Kilembe and give the newborn an optimal start in life. With the help of the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program we try to achieve this. This is an evidence-based educational programme to teach neonatal resuscitation techniques in areas with limited resources and is an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and a number of other global health organizations. The educational material is accessible to everyone.
Orthopedics
The orthopaedic part of Daktari Project is one of the original sub-projects that were set up in 2010. This is due to the nature of the hospital (a district hospital that serves as a referral center for more than 2 million people), the presence of several orthopaedic surgeons in the hospital, as well as the presence of an orthopaedic surgeon and orthopaedic residents on the board. Initially there was only Dr. Edward Weful who, besides the medical superintendant, is also an orthopaedic surgeon. Over the years, the hospital has developed further and 2 additional orthopaedic surgeons have been recruited.
Wound care
In 2016 we started with the wound care project. During the first phase of the project, we searched for the needs of the Kilembe Mines Hospital in the field of wound care. Together with the nurses and doctors, we carried out the wound care on the various wards for a few weeks. During these moments it soon became clear where the problems occurred. One of the biggest problems was the use of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide, a cytotoxic agent that destroys healthy tissue, was used on each type of wound. This product is cheap, which is why it was frequently used in the hospital. It was good that povidone iodine (isobetadine) was also present in the hospital, which meant that it was available in the hospital. Povidone iodine is preferred as it is a broad spectrum antiseptic. In 2016 this was only present in the operating theatre, when asked the povidone iodine proved to be very expensive, so it was only used there. This was a first problem that we were able to tackle with the Daktari project. We have provided a budget so that povidone iodine is now available in every department. The use of hydrogen peroxide has decreased considerably compared to 2016.
Meet our team.
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How you can support our cause?
Even helping just one person is a great step forward.
Donate
Donations will exclusively be used for the project in Uganda and you will receive regular updates through this website and our Facebook page to see how it is put to use. Monthly donations are possible.
Events
Our team of volunteers regularly organizes various types of fundraisers. Check our upcomming events and join us! This is a great way to contribute to our goals and get to know eachother.
Shop
Buy our products via the online shop. The Ugandan products were made by locals and are fair trade. We also sell some attributes relevant to our events. Have a look!
Volunteer
The entire project relies on active volunteers. Volunteering can be done at our events as well as at the Kilembe mines hospital.
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