Supporters of International Medical Group

IMG is seeking assistance to fund the final phase of the new International Hospital in Kampala and the new Nurse Training School, both in Kampala.

As a developing organisation, IMG welcomes input and expertise from organisations and individuals who have an interest in improving the medical services available in developing countries.

This can be in the form of skills sharing or volunteering, volunteering, or donating medical equipment.

IMG has numerous charitable interests. However, the majority of the organisation's patients are the middle income group which has emerged over the last five to ten years in Uganda.

Prior to this everyone struggled to meet the costs of day to day living and few people had a real wage. However, this sector of the population is showing a growing awareness of the cost of healthcare and the need for medical in insurance schemes.

There has been progress in service and infrastructure - there is improved power and a vast improvement in telecommunications. There has been increased competition in business, and some development of customer service. However, generally the medical sector has not kept pace with improvements in other sectors.

While primary health care is the largest and most important aspect of the provision of healthcare in developing countries, it is also important to develop the range of services available. Being a third world country should not automatically mean having substandard healthcare.

Those who wish for better services and are prepared to pay should have the opportunity to access them. A few hospitals offering excellent service would set an example for other providers and have a positive effect on the whole system.

The medical services available to the middle class urban population of Uganda would be greatly improved by co-operation between a local medical organization such as IMG, and medical professionals, donors, and medical facilities in developed countries.

The benefits would be mainly in terms of training, expertise and the provision and maintenance of high-tech equipment.

International Medical Group, which operates a hospital, clinics and a Health Management Organization would be a prime facility for such co-operation, as it sets the example for much of Uganda's medical care. In addition it is growing and developing fast, eager to embrace change and to provide better medical services for patients.

IMG has expanded over the past six years from one GP clinic to five clinics, a dental clinic, a HMO and a hospital of thirty beds. IMG is in the process of constructing a purpose-built 120 bed hospital. This has been done without any donor assistance through internally generated funds and a low interest loan from the European Investment Bank.

There are resource constraints, especially regarding medical equipment, but many of the major constraints are due to the lack of experience and expertise. This is because there has been an emphasis in the provision of primary health care by the Ugandan Ministry of Health over the past several decades. The need continues to be great in this area, however there are other needs in areas which would be considered essential to the provision of basic medical services in developed countries, for example Intensive Care.

In order to fill this gap it is essential that there is increased collaboration between health organizations in Uganda and centers of excellence and training in developed countries.

Such a scheme would allow the collaborating institution to get the benefit of experience in pathology with which it is not normally familiar and plentiful research opportunities, while the developing organisation gets to benefit from their expertise and training.