Equipment for Dareda Kati Health Center

Make the health center fully functional

In 2022 and 2023, Karimu completed the expansion of the Dareda Kati Dispensary into a “Health Center”. A health center is a mini-hospital. The center operates 24 by 7, can perform simple operations (e.g., C-sections), deal with major injuries (e.g., fractures), provides services that require more sophisticated equipment (e.g. X-rays or ultrasound machines), can run its own diagnostic tests, and supports overnight patient stays for treatment, recovery, or monitoring. It includes an outpatient ward, overnight ward, maternity ward complete with operating room, reproductive and children’s health building, laboratory, and mortuary.  You can also check out an aerial view of the Dareda Kati Health Center complex taken in July 2022 in this video. It is the first building complex seen. This is the only such facility in the ward and will serve over 40,000 people in Ayalagaya and neighboring wards. 

This center was completed in partnership with the community who dug and provided stones for all the foundations and the government which has provided the center with additional staff and equipment. The staff was expanded with three nurses and one doctor. The government spent ~$6000 on the main operating room equipment including the anesthesia machine, but also beds for the wards. According to Madama Barnabas Hosea, District Medical Officer, Babati District, "I promise you. Dareda Kati will be the best clinic ever."

However, more is needed and Karimu donors are meeting the need providing the following:

• Overnight ward: beds, a wheelchair, and a stretcher

• Maternity ward: beds, gynecological bed, refrigerator, infant scale

• Operating room: light, suction machine, autoclave, trolley, cesarean section set, vital signs tray, stretcher, washing machine

• Reproductive and Children’s Health: television, reception desk

• Laboratory: centrifuge, microscope, blood analysis equipment, refrigerator

• Mortuary: body cabinet, stretcher

• All departments: desks, chairs, benches

This equipment should make the center fully functional.

October 2023 Update: The health center is now running 24 x 7 and has 26 staff. They received a donation of an oxygen compressor from FREO2 Australia and the Catholic Diocese of Mbulu and the staff has been trained in its use. The new oxygen compressor will save lives and is a beautiful example of partnering for the community.

March 2024 Update: Karimu made several more donations this quarter when we learned that a dentist would be assigned to Dareda Kati Health Center. This is quite exciting to have a dentist local to the area. Karimu donated a complete setup for the dentist (See photo at left). The only remaining equipment is an ultrasound and incubator pending funding.

August 2024 Update: Karimu received funding for the ultrasound and it was ordered and received. Currently, we have a visiting professional who visits the clinic weekly to perform ultrasounds on a portable machine. This person will now use our new ultrasound machine and some of the clinic staff will be sent for more specialized training to take on the work completely.

Benefits:

• Fully functioning health center

• Improved healthcare nearer to community members

Cost: 

• Karimu cost: $196,153

• Community cost and/or contribution:  $6000