LONDON
EFOD London was established in 2013 by former members of EFOD North West with support from the ICE Graduates and Students committee.
We are a team of engineers, construction workers and also individuals from non-construction backgrounds working to deliver projects to improve the sanitation and operations at Kumi Hospital in eastern Uganda.
KUMI HOSPITAL
Kumi Hospital was founded in 1929 as a leprosy centre. The years 1985-1992 saw conflict in Uganda during which the hospital suffered a total collapse of services and by the end of the civil war it was being used as a camp for internally displaced persons. The hospital was re-established into a General Hospital in 1997 and now has a capacity of 350 beds, treats 50,000 patients annually and serves a population of around 4 million people.
The hospital is a private not for profit institution which receives minimal government funding. It often has to absorb the cost of treating patients as the patient themselves are unable to pay. The hospital also generates revenue by running a farm in the 1100 hectares of land it sits in.
Over the past eight years EFOD London have been delivering projects at Kumi Hospital including the raising of pumps to ensure water supply; refurbishment of a medical waste incinerator build by EFOD North West in 2012; replacement and commissioning of operating theatre backup batteries; construction of new walkways and the construction of an EcoSan latrines block. Several of these projects are ongoing.
PROJECTS
PUMP HOUSE
Kumi Hospital pumps its own water from the nearby Lake Bisina and during the rainy season the existing pump house floods which
inundates the pumps and cutts off the hospital's water supply. In 2014 EFOD London travelled to Kumi and built a plinth to raise one of the pumps above the water line to guarantee constant water supply to the hospital.
However, the water levels have continued to rise. It is critical that further pumps are also raised due to the hospital's reliance on this principal water supply.
The pump house project is ongoing and the team plan on raising a second pump in 2022 with the view to developing a more sustainable, long-term solution.
HOSPITAL INCINERATOR
Prior to 2012, Kumi Hospital was disposing of hazardous and infectious material (such as needles and used dressings)
by periodically burning it in pits, which were then covered in a thin layer of topsoil. This posed a serious risks to those on site so in August 2012 EFOD NW completed the construction of a medical waste incinerator.
The design of the incinerator was based on the DeMontford Mk 9 which is a masonry incinerator developed by Dr J Picken of DeMontford University. This design is well proven however due to the nature of its use of high temperature changes, the design life is approximately five years.
In July 2018, James and Bradley travelled to Kumi to refurbish the existing incinerator and return it to its former glory. This involved
re-fabricating the steel top plate, repairing cracked brickwork and replacing roof sheets and bracing.
WALKWAYS
When EFOD London visits Kumi, we discuss future projects with the management, staff and patients. It became clear that new and refurbished walkways were a requirement for the hospital. The existing walkways are in poor condition, are not suitable for wheelchairs or for moving equipment and are uncovered meaning they offer no protection during heavy rains.
For the past eight months EFOD London have been designing new covered walkways and developing details to remediate the existing walkways which require upgrading. This has included using computational analysis to develop designs that are functional, aesthetically pleasing as well as providing a safe enviornment.
In December 2018, Tom and Calum travelled to Kumi to undertake a number of surveys for the project teams, and also undertake walkway construction. They successfully oversaw the construction of a new section of walkway to an existing latrines block, and also completed a test walkway using masonry units for the wearing surface.
LATRINES
Since 2014, EFOD London have been working on a project to deliver Eco-San latrines at Kumi Hospital. These latrines offer a sustainable way of disposing human waste when compared to traditional pit latrines used in the region.
Construction began in March 2019 when Irene and Felix travelled to site and installed the foundations, with project completion planned for late 2019. Irene received a commendation for her report on the project at the Word Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) in 2018!
MAPPING
Understanding the environment we are working in and the existing arrangement of the hospital is fundamental to the success of our projects to ensure we deliver solutions that fit the needs of the users. During the construction tour in December 2018, Calum and Tom undertook numerous surveys and processed the data with GIS (Geographaical Information Systems) technology to generate maps of Kumi Hospital and the surrounding area such as Laker Bisina and the pump house.
REGION LEAD
BRADLEY PERKS
Bradley is a structural engineer for AKSWard. He visited Matuga in 2019 to oversee the refurbishment of a hospital incinerator.
WAYS TO HELP
We rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations to deliver this transformative project.
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