Reasons for Kiryandongo leaders’ visit to Adjumani general hospital

Adjumani | A delegation of leaders from Kiryandongo district visited Adjumani general hospital this week on a benchmarking mission.

The delegation, led by the district chairperson Nelson Osega, learned best practices which have made the facility one of the top-performing hospitals in Uganda.

Members of the Kiryandongo general hospital management committee and health officials toured the hosts’ hospital to gain insights into its management systems, partnerships, service delivery, and strategies that have earned it national recognition.

Welcoming the visitors, the senior hospital administrator of Adjumani, Michael Ojja, said the hospital was honoured to host the leadership from Kiryandongo.

“We are privileged to receive the leadership of Kiryandongo district in Adjumani Hospital,” Ojja said, adding, “Adjumani hospital is one of the 15 high performing volume hospitals in Uganda, according the to the Ministry of Health annual report. And that means we are not just like any other general hospital. Our performance volume is higher than very many other district hospitals.”

Ojja noted that the hospital’s performance has consistently stood out among public health facilities across the country.

“In terms of our caesarean rates, also, our theatre is regarded as one of those that is performing more functions and more operations than other theatres in other general hospitals.”

He added that Adjumani general hospital has earned national recognition for its overall performance and quality of service delivery.

The visit comes at a time when districts are increasingly seeking to learn from successful institutions in order to improve public service delivery and health outcomes.

Speaking during the visit, Kiryandongo district LC5 chairperson Osega, said the district selected Adjumani general hospital because of its impressive ranking and performance record.

“To do benchmarking, obviously,sly there should be something unique that one hospital does that you feel like you should emulate, and we, as Kiryandongo, felt like: based on the rankings, Adjumani being number two in the whole country, there should be something different that they are doing.”

According to Osega, the delegation discovered that strong partnerships and support from refugee-focused agencies have significantly contributed to the hospital’s achievements.

“But one of the things that we have found out is that Adjumani has a very big UNHCR backing. That is a difference that we have. We don’t know whether we in Kiryandongo do not interpret the MoU with the UNHCR so much.”

The head of delegation said the visit provided valuable lessons that Kiryandongo district could adopt to improve service delivery in its own health facilities.

“I believe benchmarking gives us such loopholes that we feel we can go back; we can feel that we do have a lot of success as Kiryandongo. So, we are here to benchmark. Benchmarking is seeing what you are not able to do; you can copy from others.”

The chairperson of the hospital management committee for Kiryandongo, David Ndamurani Ateenyi, also praised Adjumani hospital for its collaborative approach in serving both host communities and refugees.

“We’ve learned quite a lot, especially given that, like Kiryandongo hospital, Adjumani hospital is situated in a district hosting refugees. We have a major refugee settlement in Kiryandongo district as well.”

He said the delegation was particularly impressed by the hospital’s ability to attract support from partners and development agencies.

“We note that they’ve had very productive collaborative efforts with stakeholders, especially handling refugees. Those are lessons we’ve learned.”

Ateenyi further noted that donor-funded projects and initiatives have played a key role in strengthening health services at the facility.

The Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Adjumani welcomed the visitors and commended them for seeking knowledge that could improve healthcare services in their district.

“I want to warmly welcome you, your team, to Adjumani district, also to benchmark with Adjumani general hospital. A hospital which I know has been ranked quite favourably in the recent rankings of hospitals in the country.”

The deputy RDC highlighted some of the hospital’s strengths, including its laboratory services, which have gained recognition beyond the district.

He further emphasised the long-standing relationship between Adjumani and Kiryandongo districts, noting that the two districts share many similarities, including hosting refugee populations.

The benchmarking visit concluded with discussions on partnership building, refugee health management, resource mobilisation, and improving healthcare delivery.

Leaders from Kiryandongo expressed optimism that the lessons learned from Adjumani would help strengthen services in their district and contribute to better health outcomes for their communities.