Kinondo Kwetu Hospital

Kinondo Kwetu clinic was established in November 2008, to meet the strong need for basic health care, treatment of malaria, HIV, TB, parasites, ante-natal care, deliveries, child care, vaccinations and health information. Before it started its operation, the people in Kinondo villages did not have affordable access to other care than the one provided by traditional medicine men.

The clinic has now developed into a level 4 hospital, meaning that all surgery, except on heart and brain, is done at the facility. In January 2022, 101 persons work at the hospital.

12 years of operation

128 204 patient visits were attended to in 2020. The staff amounts to 75 persons and the operation is lead by Harrison Kaingu, who started as chief laboratory officer in 2008, when the facility was opened.

Affordable quality care

At Kinondo Kwetu Hosptial, the people in Kinondo have access to affordable quality health care. An average of 3 deliveries per day were assisted in 2020. All children in Kinondo villages are now immunized. Over 700 HIV-positive patients get regular treatment, as well as TB- and diabetes patients. In contrast to before 2008, no patient dies from malaria, unless there are other complications.

Laboratory

Thanks to a donation in 2011 from two Finnish donors, Kinondo Kwetu’s laboratory is well equipped. The laboratory is giving service to other clinics and hospitals in the area. The surplus gives a welcome contribution to the clinic's work.

Unique working model at Kinondo Kwetu hospital

The TBA:s (Traditional Birth Attendants), do an important work. Before Kinondo Kwetu Hospital started its operation as a clinic in 2008, they were the midwives that assisted the mothers at their deliveries, at home, in primitive huts. At that time, the mortality rate among mothers and babies was high. The challenge was to get the mothers to come to the clinic for antenatal care and delivery. It is easy to understand that this was not in the interest of the TBA:s, who feared losing their job. So there was a strong resistance.
Now, they are working for Kinondo Kwetu Hospital, with the task to identify pregnant mothers in the villages, to bring them to the hospital in the 4th month of pregnancy and to act as birth companions during the delivery. Every first Thursday of the month, they meet at Kinondo Kwetu Hospital for information and education.
H & B Agerup foundation has studied this model of cooperation with TBA:s at Kinondo and has implemented it in Tanzania, a work for which they have received funding.