Rinaldo Gasparini Foundation Maternity Clinic
As communities increasingly rely on our hospital, we're pleased to highlight positive trends and updates in the RGF hospital's 2023 report.
- An increase in the use of our Outpatient Department Services has been noted, particularly among the adult demographic, indicating a growing trust and reliance on our healthcare offerings compared to the previous year.
- A new non-communicable diseases (NCDs) clinic has been established at the OPD each week, catering to hypertensive and diabetic patients who require testing and medication. This service has proven to be popular, with an average of 88 patients attending the clinic daily.
- We are also very pleased to report that RCH, Immunisation and Family planning attendance has risen in comparison to the last year. While these services are also free in local government hospitals, people from outside village are choosing on their own accord to travel to the clinic to attain these services and this can largely be attributed to the care and diligence offered by the staff at our clinic.
- Women remain a critical focus for our centre. In 2023 we saw the number of women who came in for family planning significantly increase, in large part due to our sustained efforts in providing individual health education to women who attend the clinic. In addition, the safe delivery of children remains a top priority for us, in 2023 we safety delivered 537 newborns, averaging a title of 45 babies a month.
KEY INFO
Today the clinic has a total of 33 staff working at the hospital, 14 of which are employed directly by the Rinaldo Gasparini Foundation and 19 which are Zanzibar government employees through the Ministry of Health.
The clinic upholds a robust partnership with the local government. The District Medical Officer (DMO) of the North has accorded the clinic priority in staffing and provision of certain medicines and medical equipment distributed by the government. Furthermore, we nurture strong relationships with local leaders and the village health committee. Through key partnerships, we have also made significant upgrades to the clinic. The Pathfinder organisation, in collaboration with the Zanzibar government, assisted us in installing solar panels in the clinic, resulting in a substantial decrease in diesel usage and expenses. We were selected as a pilot health facility for this initiative due to our outstanding performance in delivering exceptional health services to the region. In addition, the Sister Island organisation has offered free Ultrasound services to our pregnant patients, donating an ultrasound machine to a nearby private clinic and allowing us to send our pregnant patients for free services. This has increased access to quality healthcare services to women attending our clinic.
As we look to the future of the hospital the Rinaldo Gasparini Foundation Maternity Clinic stands as a pillar of hope and progress for the region. As we commit to excellence in healthcare we are committed to meeting the evolving needs of our patients, as the clinic continues to gain the confidence of the people of Kendwa and beyond, helping to treat communities for generations to come.
Renco People: Hawa’s Story
Hawa Kivembele, is the Clinical Director Rinaldo Gasparini Foundation Maternity Clinic and led the 2023 report.
In 2011, Hawa began her role at the clinic as a clinician, managing operations at the newly established facility after completing her diploma in Medicine. After two years, she decided to pursue a Medical Degree (MD). When she expressed her desire to pursue the degree to the Director of Renco Tanzania, Renco offered to fully sponsor her studies. While pursuing her degree, Hawa continued to work at the clinic during her holiday’s. In 2019, Hawa was appointed the Clinical Director of the maternity clinic. Under her management, over the past three years the clinic has experienced a significant increase in the number of successful deliveries and has grown significantly to become a beacon of healthcare for the region.
What Hawa Kivembele say
For me the RGF clinic is a blessing to the community, the most beautiful humanitarian project I have ever seen, it was built in a village where there were not any other clinics, and people had to walk and travel for more than 5 kilometres to search for a primary health service.
For the past four years, the RGF clinic has been the only clinic in the North A district of Zanzibar providing delivery services. Otherwise, women would have to travel almost 17 kilometers south (20 – 30 minutes by car) to access delivery services at a district hospital. The RGF clinic has been recognised by the government for the quality of services it provides, and it has gained the trust of local communities, as evidenced by the number of clients it serves daily. It attracts people from distant areas of the island. I am very fond of the foundation's purpose of helping local communities, especially those deriving from the most disadvantaged populations.