dfcu Bank and Rotary have partnered to provide free healthcare services to residents of Kamwokya, Kampala, in a medical camp targeting up to 1,500 beneficiaries, with the initiative combining treatment and screening with efforts to raise awareness about preventable and chronic illnesses.
Jimmy Mugerwa, board chairman of dfcu Limited, said the partnership reflects the bank’s commitment to improving people’s lives beyond providing financial services.
“At dfcu our purpose is to transform lives and for our customers but also for the businesses in Uganda,” Mugerwa said.
He said working with Rotary and healthcare providers offered an opportunity to extend that commitment directly to communities through access to essential medical services.
“For us, giving back is not simply an act of charity, it is a responsibility as a corporate citizen, because we know that a healthy population is the foundation of the strong families and productive businesses and ultimately a better Uganda,” he said.
The medical camp, held on Friday, October 16, offered general medical consultations, laboratory tests, eye care, dental services, family planning, gynaecological consultations and medicines at no cost. Other services include screening for hepatitis B, sickle cell disease and malaria, as well as cervical cancer screening, prostate-related care, circumcision, mental health support and blood donation.
Mugerwa also highlighted dfcu’s commitment to sickle cell awareness through its Hope in Motion initiative, which supports efforts to encourage testing and reduce stigma surrounding the condition.
He said sickle cell disease remained a significant health challenge in Uganda, particularly among children, and called for greater awareness of the condition and the importance of knowing one’s status.
“So one of the other things which you have me to do is to increase awareness, encourage testing, but also reduce stigma around the condition of sickle cells,” he said.
Mugerwa said dfcu intended to continue supporting the sickle cell clinic annually through proceeds from the initiative.
He said the bank and its Rotary partners had also recognised the need to sustain their community health interventions beyond a single event.
“As I mentioned, we have Kitante, we have Kyadondo, we have Blue Heart, we have Medical Stars. We have spoken and said you can’t do this just one day,” Mugerwa said.
“So our promise as partners is that we will need to come back together again to do something similar.”
Dr Alex Lwesabula of Mengo Hospital said more than 500 patients had already benefited from the camp, which was particularly important for communities where residents have limited access to healthcare.
“So far we’ve worked on over 500 patients who have benefited from different health services,” Lwesabula said.
He said medical teams had encountered hypertension and diabetes among the leading conditions, with some patients unaware they had the illnesses despite having dangerously high blood pressure.
“It’s very unfortunate that many of them are actually undiagnosed. We are seeing patients with very high blood pressures that actually don’t even know that they have these very high blood pressures,” he said.
Lwesabula said malaria was also common among patients attending the camp, partly attributing the cases to waterlogged areas around Kamwokya. Respiratory illnesses, including coughs and flu, were also frequently reported.
He said the intervention was designed not only to provide immediate treatment but also to encourage preventive screening and connect patients to health facilities for continued care.
“Partly, the health-seeking behaviours of our people, because they really don’t, they want only to go to the hospitals when they’re actually ill. They don’t go to just for screening purposes,” he said.
Lwesabula said patients receiving medication for conditions such as hypertension and diabetes would be referred to health facilities where they could obtain continued treatment and undergo regular reviews.
“We are not only treating today but we are basically referring these patients to health facilities where they can seek care,” he said.
Raymond Andrew Kalema of Rotary Club of Kitante said Rotary had organised medical camps in the community for about five years, with previous events attracting an average of 500 to 600 people. Organisers expected more than 1,000 people to benefit from the latest camp.
Kalema said Rotary had prioritised medicine supplies to address situations in which patients were diagnosed but could not obtain medication or follow through on referrals.
“The feedback we’ve gotten from this community is that Rotary gives medicine because most of the times people are diagnosed but they never get medication or they never get referrals,” he said.
He said Rotary had also installed water pumps in the community to improve access to water and hygiene, citing the financial challenges some residents face in meeting basic needs.
“You cannot imagine that we are just down below Kololo, yeah, and just below Kololo people cannot afford water of a hundred shillings a jerrycan,” Kalema said.
The organisers were targeting between 1,000 and 1,500 beneficiaries and aimed to collect 65 units of blood during the camp. Mugerwa said 20 units had been collected by the time he spoke, and urged more people to donate.
The initiative brings together Rotary clubs including Kitante, Kyadondo, Blue Heart and Medical Stars, alongside healthcare partners, to provide medical services and encourage continued access to treatment.
