MBALE PROVINCIAL RURAL HEALTH TRAINING CENTRE

The oldest health facility in this town currently headed by Mr Odipo, the clinical officer in-charge who is the executive officer.

It is situated next to the District Hospital and provides primary health care (PHC) services to the residents of Mbale and beyond.

Like any typical health centre, it has an administration department headed by the Hospital Administration Officer (HAO). He handles all administrative issues such as staff leaves, deploying non-clinical staff, maintaining buildings and ambulances, correspondence etc.

The maternal, child health and family planning clinic (MCH/FP) is under the Nursing Officer who is in charge of all nurses in the health centre. The IMCI clinic is also situated here and headed by Mr Mwasawa, a clinical officer who is assisted by nurses trained in IMCI.

The outpatient department provides general medical care to all non-paediatric patients except on weekends and public holidays. The Clinical officers and nurses here work together assisted by auxiliary staff.

The laboratory is next to the outpatient department and is headed by Ms Judy, a laboratory technologist. Tests carried out are blood slide for malaria, widal test, sputum for AAFB, urinalysis, VDRL, full hemogram and Elisa for HIV.

The inpatient department has 5 wards- a male ward, a female ward, delivery and MVA room and two paediatric wards.
The pharmacy stocks supplies from the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) which include antimalarials (artemether/lumefantrine), analgesics, antibiotics, deworming tablets and syrups, antihypertensives and dressing materials, antiseptics and detergents.

A public health technician (PHT) has an office at the health centre which is next to the Clinical officer and nursing officer in-charges' offices. However, administratively he reports directly to the District Public Health Officer (DPHO) rather than to the Clinical officer in-charge because PHOs are posted to a region, not a health institution.
The cartering department takes care of meals and other cartering services to the patients, staff and students on rural attachment from the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), private colleges and universities. The student hostels can accomodate 40 students at any given time.

Staff houses are located across the fence.

Services offered include:

• General medical care
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  Paediatric care (IMCI)
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  Family planning
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  Post-abortion care (MVA)
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  Filling P3 forms

In-patient care
Maternity/delivery
• 
  Immunisation

Circumcision
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  Wound care and stitching (surturing)
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  Pharmaceutical dispensing
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  Community outreach, Education and public health
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  Voluntary counselling and testing
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  Teaching medical students on attachment
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  Supervising dispensaries and other community based activities.