Hospice Africa Uganda - Mobile Hospice Mbarara

Mobile Hospice Mbarara commenced a palliative care service to patients and families in January 1998. Our patients are those with cancer and/or AIDS. We care particularly for critical illness and end of life care in the home.

Mobile Hospice Mbarara was the first satellite hospice of Hospice Africa Uganda. The second is in Little Hospice Hoima, opened in June 1998.

Hospice Mbarara brings modern methods of pain and symptom control, counseling and spiritual support to the patient and family. Our care is mainly for cancer and/or AIDS patients. Our main work is during critical illness or at end of life, at home. We estimate that up to 75% of our cancer patients also have AIDS.

Presently most patients are referred from Mbarara University Teaching Hospital (M.U.T.H). 64% of all patients referred in the year 2003-4 were from MUTH; 15% were self-referrals (through hearing of the work through village etc); 11% were referred from private clinics . If the patient is in hospital and because we are aware that most patients prefer to be at home at this time, we encourage discharge to their homes as soon as possible. It is now possible to manage patients in their own homes with modern methods of pain and symptom control.

With our own vehicle we are able to visit those within a radius of 20km in Mbarara and occasionally beyond. Those outside this area report back periodically, most often through their main career.

Patients who are requested to bring a MHM referral form, filled in by a recent doctor who has looked after them. This is to allow us to make an accurate diagnosis and give specific treatment to the patient. Referral forms are available on every ward at M.U.T.H and from Hospice.

More recently patients, who have never attended a health worker, are being referred from the villages, by trained community volunteers. These trained community careers our trained by MHM team at hospice or in the villages. They care for those at home and refer directly to the team if a patient requires our help for difficult pain or other symptoms. Then we go to see them in their homes. After assessment they are taken onto our programme or referred to a networking organisation suitable to their needs.

To date we have looked after 1924 patients and have 221 presently on the programme . We give a free service to our patients: visiting them at home, supporting the families. This costs a large sum in transport and especially trained staff. Patients are asked to pay 5,000/- (3 US$) per week of care, independent of the number of visits and including medications. The full cost is now between 11 and 20$. Some patients can manage to pay; some give a smaller contribution or a token gift from their garden. We assist with our comfort fund, those who are have not enough food or are in financial hardship.