PortaKlinic Project
Location
Our PortaKlinic project involves the use of portable structures to take quality healthcare to hard to reach communities. By portable structures I mean the use of cabins or buses which will be internally redesigned to facilitate the delivery of effective and eco-efficient medical care.
The idea was birthed because of the lack of health care available to the poor especially those living in slums or hard to reach areas. Their uptake of orthodox health care is low because of poverty, sometimes ignorance, distrust of orthodox medicine and a fear of stigmatization by medical personnel. Typically pregnant women in such communities carry their babies to term without any comprehensive medical check or antenatal visit. Nor does she know her HIV status. If she’s unfortunate and her labor starts late in the night, She has to walk a 500m distance to the nearest bus stop. Maternal/Infant mortality is almost sure if the labor becomes complicated. Hence bringing health care into their communities is a warm way of integrating them into the mainstream, providing support in above mentioned situations and thus reducing maternal health complications.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Amaka
Last Name
Okafor
Organization
Karale
Country
Nigeria, LA
Are you an individual between the ages of 18 and 35 who would like to apply for a nine month Young Champions Program mentored by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
Karale
Organization Website
Organization Phone
234-1-893 4238
Organization Address
11 Oba Akinjobi road, Ikeja GRA, Lagos
Organization Country
Nigeria, LA
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Your idea
Name Your Project
PortaKlinic Project
Country your work focuses on
Nigeria, LA
Describe Your Idea
Our PortaKlinic project involves the use of portable structures to take quality healthcare to hard to reach communities. By portable structures I mean the use of cabins or buses which will be internally redesigned to facilitate the delivery of effective and eco-efficient medical care.
The idea was birthed because of the lack of health care available to the poor especially those living in slums or hard to reach areas. Their uptake of orthodox health care is low because of poverty, sometimes ignorance, distrust of orthodox medicine and a fear of stigmatization by medical personnel. Typically pregnant women in such communities carry their babies to term without any comprehensive medical check or antenatal visit. Nor does she know her HIV status. If she’s unfortunate and her labor starts late in the night, She has to walk a 500m distance to the nearest bus stop. Maternal/Infant mortality is almost sure if the labor becomes complicated. Hence bringing health care into their communities is a warm way of integrating them into the mainstream, providing support in above mentioned situations and thus reducing maternal health complications.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Our idea is unique because it is centered on the use of portable/relocatable structures to deliver quality health care to communities which are poor/not have land to spare/have poor terrains/and prone to crisis. Being portable and relocatable is important in the event where the community is ready to upgrade to a Primary health center or crisis occurs then we can move the PortaKlinic to other areas which need it. Each PortaKlinic has the potential to provide testing, treatment and care for upwards of 10,000 people and the use of a Porta-cabin ensures that the clinics are established in the shortest possible time(4 weeks max). In places where land resource is poor, a mobile clinic can be used.
Having a list of pregnant women in our database means that we can also train them to communicate with us in urgent situations. The PortaKlinic will have a database of the phone numbers of all pregnant women we are working with. Using the free *call me its urgent* text provided by GSM companies [we would have thought them how to use it or make them store it on speed dial], they can contact a member of the medical team even when they don't have the credit to call. We can then trace them through the database and arrange for their conveyance to the hospital.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
No
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
In the communities we work in, we have increased uptake of health services from public health facilities by educating the people on the need for health check up.
We have also increased awareness about reproductive health diseases and HIV/AIDS in the communities we work in thus increasing the chances of our target population using preventive methods like condoms in sexual encounters.
The number of pregnant mothers willing to undergo VCT is also increasing.
Problem
Getting more communities involved: The communities that most need you are the ones less willing to welcome you and your new fangled ideas!
Getting funding: We are new and lack the experience and antecedents needed by donor organisations.
Actions
1.Outreaches to communities we work with[Condom use demonstration, syndromic STI diagnosis and treatment]
2.Peer education on HIV/AIDS prevention for high school students in Schools in poor communities.
3.Voluntary Counselling and Testing for at risk groups [taxi drivers, young, commercial sex workers, pregnant women)
4.We have also started working with traditional birth attendants.
Results
To increase by 100% the number of poor communities accessing quality health care by 2015.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
We have an ambitious goal to deploy 20 PortaKlinics in 20 slum areas by 2015. This translates to a minimum of 4 clinics per year.
PortaKlinics: Funding is required to establish the PortaKlinics and pay 4 staff salaries.
Drugs: Funds are only needed for first year. Drugs will be sold at minimum cost to patients and this will be revolved for subsequent years.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Rejection by the communities we seek to work in, lack of support from the local government authorities, not receiving the sustained funding we need, .
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$50 - 100
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
Central Research laboratory
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Our partnership with the Government ensures that Medical staff like doctors, nurses and community health extension workers are seconded to our PortaKlinics. The Local govt authorities also help to connect us to lead members of the communities we wish to work with creating ease of entry.
Our partnerships with other NGOs ensures that more development comes to the communities. Other NGOs can provide services like skills acquisition and trainings which we do not and this is essential for idle youth or vulnerable women.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
Increased publicity so that the societies that need our services get to know about us and get linked.
Establishing at least 2 PortaKlinics in other to gain credibility.
A sustainable partnership with corporate business.
The Story
What was the defining moment that you led to this innovation?
Our previous experience with a slum community in Kuramo, Lagos, Nigeria showed that there was a glaring need for basic health services that could not be brushed aside.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
The social innovator behind this idea is Folasade Ogunsola, a Professor of Medical microbiology in the University of Lagos. Her foray into poor communities 5 years ago was totally by accident while she was carrying out an APIN/Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored research on "The prevention of HIV and Sexually transmitted infections amongst women between ages 15-45 in the coastal slums in Victoria Island, Lagos". To remedy the lack of basic health care in that community, she included in her proposal a request for the provision of a clinic which would serve their primary health needs. She liaised with the Local government authority and had the clinic designated an outpost of the Health Centre. It also received support like personnel, free malaria drugs and childhood vaccines.In addition,a case for provision of a revolving fund for purchase of drugs for treatment of common ailments like diarrhea, respiratory infections, malaria etc.
Following the success of Kuramo Initiative we realised that there was a need for the project to be replicated in other communities and thus the birth of K’arale.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Through another organization or company
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
Lucy Kanu, an Ashoka fellow and Director of IdeaBuilders
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| Valentine Program@High School.jpg | 28.55 KB |
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| Kuramo_Clinic.jpg | 71.93 KB |
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 | AmaKa said: Thank you Ore. I am really excited about the project. about this Competition Entry. - 655 days ago read more > |
| Somolu said: This is a wonderful idea. Taking health care to marginalised communities is one of the best ways to ensure that under-served communities ... about this Competition Entry. - 655 days ago read more > |
| AmaKa updated this Competition Entry. - 695 days ago |
| AmaKa updated this Competition Entry. - 696 days ago |
| AmaKa submitted this idea. - 697 days ago |
