Health

Kasese District has one District hospital and 63 health units, out of which 16 are government-aided while 46 are privately owned. The various healthy units owned by the government are categorised as Health Centre 1V which are units at County level; Health Centre III are at Sub-County level and Health Centre II which are operate at parish level.

Child mortality, maternal mortality and immunization coverage have greatly improved in Kasese district since the inception of the decentralization policy. Child immunisation now stands at 109%, thanks to a number of interventions such as the construction of health centre IIs, low cost staff houses, maternity wards and theatres.
Malaria and HIV/AIDS also continue to be a core concern for the Kasese district health services.

Health indicators

Top 10 killer diseases in Kasese

Health Sector Indicators

1. Doctor to population ratio                                               1:31,300
2. Midwife/Nurse to population ratio                                    1:2,196
3. Female fertility rate                                                        7.4 children
4. HIV sero-positivity                                                         11.2%
5. Safe water coverage                                                       43.6%
6. Maternal mortality                                                          39 %
7. Respiratory infections                                                    20%

Achievements

Under the sector the following have been done;

• Constructed a maternity ward in Kyondo Health Center (HC) lll.
• Constructed Hima Town Council HC lll
• Constructed Rukoki HC lV; on this a theatre is under construction.
• Constructed Mubuku HC ll
• Constructed one staff house at Rwesande HC IV
• Constructed the District health office at the District head quarters.
• Mosquito insecticide treated nets were distributed to (on average 2 nets per household in 18/23 sub counties. In Hima TC 13,620 ITN distributed.
• Immunisation – on average; 109% of the children below 1 year receive 3 doses of DPT3

Although the District health services have been facing many constraints that include inadequacy of health facilities, delayed disbursement of funds from the government and understaffing, some achievements have been made. Among them is the construction of two maternity wards at Kasanga and Karambi and an outpatient department block.

The District has also constructed a medical theatre at Busongora North health sub-District while a doctor’s house is under construction.

The key district challenges include:

· Lack of transport in the health sector and shortage of health workers
· Insufficient science facilities such as laboratories in secondary schools
· Unpredictable weather patterns warrant that we establish irrigation systems at Katholhu-Rwehingo area in Nyakiyumbu Sub County and revamp Mubuku Irrigation Scheme to ensure that there is production all year round
· Lack of value addition particularly to the Horticulture Industry
· Insufficient mountain road network which greatly limits the production and marketing of produce
· High unemployment levels mainly because of unskilled labour and a largely informal private sector.

HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The table shows the projects under taken in the health sector

NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

Forestry

Three hundred (300) hectares have been planted with trees by farmers on privately owned land in the mountainous areas in the following Sub counties: Kyarumba, Muhokya, and Kyabarungira under the Farm Income Enhancement and Forestry Conservation (FIEFOC) Project. One farmer in L. Katwe Sub County Mrs. Viola Bamusede has established a plantation of over 60 hectares of pine trees. It is also reported that the tree cover in the Rwenzori Mountain National Park has increased by 5% according to satellite images of 1995 and 2005

Waste Management

Kasese district benefited from the multi-million waste management plant programme funded by the World Bank through NEMA. A Shs. 500 million waste management plant with a capacity of 70 to 100 tons per day has been constructed in Kasese Town Council to process waste generated in Kasese TC and Hima TC into manure that will subsequently be used in agricultural areas.