In Mbale district, eastern Uganda, Malaria Consortium is working with the District Health Team with funding from Comic Relief on a project that aims to help reduce child deaths from malaria and other severe childhood illnesses. Malaria is the most common cause of death in Mbale for children and adults, accounting for over 20,000 hospital admissions a year and over 30 percent of all admissions in the district.
As part of the project, volunteer village health team members (VHTs) are being trained to sensitise community members on general health issues, identify disease cases in the community and refer community members to health facilities for appropriate care. One of the project’s key objectives is to develop a strong and effective referral system between communities and the different health facility levels, to ensure timely and appropriate treatment, resulting in more lives saved.
Having lost a child to malaria in 2010, Wambete Peter from Muanda Village, Lugale Parish, Mbale region discusses how he feels about being selected as a VHT. Describing the selection process, he also discusses the impact of malaria in his community.
Interviewed by Mike Ndiema, Malaria Consortium’s Communications Officer in Uganda