eQuality Health Bwindi is an innovative Health scheme that seeks to enable all members of the community around Bwindi to access affordable and sustainable quality health services. All members of the Bwindi community have the chance to subscribe to this scheme by making an annual payment of UGX 6000 ($3) per person which entitles them to use Hospital Outpatient and Inpatient services including investigations, drugs and even operations at a cost of only UGX 1000 per visit. This scheme enables people to pay for health care collectively and in advance, instead of waiting until they become sick and fearing the cost of care. It protects the poor, and enables them to have some control over their health care.
People join the scheme through their organized groups (bataka groups or burial societies). Individual group members pay an annual subscription of 6000 UGX which is collected through their bataka groups. More than 95% of people in the Bwindi area are members of these Bataka groups, which are used to collecting money for burials and other community events and have good internal systems of accountability. At least 80% [of the members in a group have to join to avoid ‘adverse selection’, and the premium has been set at a level that everyone can afford if they choose to join.
The scheme is costing about $ 126,000- half of which is raised from the community through 21,000 subscribed members by Dec 2011.
We intend to raise the other $ 63,000 from supporters who want to help a programme that helps people to help themselves. The slogan for the scheme is ‘Bataka Twetambire’ which means ‘Let’s Heal Ourselves’.If you can help or know someone who can help, please contact us.
The scheme that was launched in March 2010 membership has grown to 21,000 members. This is 33% of the target population of 60,000 people living in the three sub counties of Kayonza, Mpungu and Kanyantorogo. It is projected that the scheme uptake in the next two and a half years will be like,
June 2012 50% of 60,000 [30,000] members
June 2013 70% of 60,000 [42,000] members
June 2014 75% of 80,000 [60,000] members.
Over 60,000 people have been registered onto an electronic database designed by our IT team at BCH, (click here to see sample Screenshots from the database system) , which we use to monitor who joins the scheme and follow the pattern of diseases in the Hospital and the community. This database includes GPS information to enable us to map diseases and poverty information which helps us to target the very poorest.
The scheme is administered by Bwindi community Hospital in collaboration with Bataka groups (leaders) who collect money from their respective groups to the eQuality Health Bwindi office that remits it to the Hospital as community contribution to the cost of their quality health care.
To find out much more about the eQuality Health Bwindi scheme please download this leaflet eQuality case for support.
The quality framework that eQuality use to monitor the performance of the Hospital can be viewed here:
eQuality Measurement Framework
The eQuality Measurement Framework includes:
- 24 hour availability of doctors and nurses
- Drugs and supplies are always available
- High quality sanitation and infection control
- The poor and the Batwa get guaranteed levels of access to Hospital services
- Maximum waiting times for operations
If you would like to learn more about the scheme please click here for a presentation on 27 questions about eQuality
Also click here to view eQuality guidelines.
Click here to follow the progress of the scheme as all of the indicators are updated monthly eQuality reporting Framework.
Marketing materials
Hospital expenditure on each patient visit
To learn what the Hospital spend each time we see a patient please click here or on the graph
- Admission to Hospital $15 per day – average cost $72 for an admission
- Caesarean Section $140
- Outpatient consultation, investigation and treatment $6
- X-ray $3
