From Burden to Breakthrough!
In Kisoro, CLM advocacy helped abolish user fees at Mutolere Hospital — leading to a dramatic drop in missed appointments and bringing clients back into care.
In 2022, during Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) interactions with clients at Mutolere Hospital in Kisoro District, a critical barrier to HIV treatment emerged: user fees. Clients reported struggling to mobilize funds not only for transport to the facility but also to cover a mandatory consultation fee of UGX 4,000 charged at every appointment.
These fees significantly affected retention in care — some clients opted out entirely, others self-transferred to different facilities, and many missed appointments while trying to raise the required amount. The facility in-charge confirmed the concern during a CLM follow-up interview, attributing 80 missed appointments and six client transfers between October and December 2022 to these charges.
In response, CLM convened a dialogue on March 1, 2023, bringing together Kisoro district leadership, the implementing partner (UPMB), and hospital management. After reviewing the data and client experiences, UPMB instructed the facility to immediately stop charging consultation fees for clients receiving HIV services.
Read how community voices restored access to lifesaving HIV treatment. Ending User Fees, Restoring Access_ How CLM Helped Mutolere Hospital Clients Return to Care
