Soroti Medical Centre

Provision of medical services for the poor is fragmented and often non-existent particularly in rural areas. Healthcare is not free so those with little or no income do not seek help until a problem becomes major or even life-threatening.

The problem is not simply one of money – there is 1 doctor per 23,100 (UK - 1: 476), 1 dentist per 150,000 in Uganda – and for these reasons the Soroti Baptist Church leadership have devised a scheme to build a Medical Centre which will house doctors, dentists, and optometrists.

saltpetertrust, working in partnership with Ugandan leaders and healthcare professionals, has developed a design for the Medical Centre. Outline planning permission has been granted and the foundations have been laid by a team of UK engineers together supervising local workforce.

Training staff for the centre has been ongoing for the past 5 years. A dentist and 2 doctors have been trained in Kampala; further dental, medical and optometry assistants are currently being trained with funds from private donors in the UK.

The Medical Centre will include duplicate surgeries for doctors, dentists and optometrists; this will enable volunteer medical professionals from the UK to work alongside Ugandan medical staff, developing skills and facilitating the training of others.

Once complete, the centre will provide a base for the trained staff to operate. A business plan has been prepared which will enable the centre to be self supporting whilst providing free treatment for the most needy in the community.

• It cost £4500 to lay the foundations
• £30000 to be raised for the superstructure
• £10000 to be raised for internal finishes and equipment