Primary Care

Wellbody Clinic

Wellbody Clinic in Kono district is a model primary health facility that has significantly improved health care access and quality for its patients through comprehensive investments in innovative approaches, clinical training, infrastructure, and community health initiatives. Wellbody continues to pioneer the use of the electronic medical records system allowing for better patient management and continuity of care for the roughly 4,400 patients who visit the clinic each month. The facility is the first in the county to be fully reliant on an electronic medical record system. Not a single maternal death was registered in 2024 and only one since 2016, thanks to the ongoing mentorship of maternity staff and the use of maternal waiting homes—facilities where women with high-risk pregnancies can stay for 24-hour monitoring ahead of their due date. These homes were first opened in 2017 and freshly renovated in 2023. Cervical cancer screenings offer an essential service to women and enhance early detection and treatment options. Through a newly constructed observation room in 2024, patient care improved by providing a dedicated space for monitoring and assessing patients’ conditions, ensuring timely interventions.

Expansion Program

Through the Primary Health Care Expansion Program, four PHUs in Kono district are being supported through staffing, mentorship and training, infrastructure and equipment upgrades, medication, and community-based programs. Each facility has been equipped with screening, triage, registration, and adequate clinical consultation spaces. The expansion of health services at these four PHUs reduces the number of patients who rely solely on the Wellbody Clinic and increases health care access across the district. Infrastructure upgrades at Kayima Community Health Center (CHC) were completed in 2024. Nutrition support for children expanded to the PHUs, ensuring children with moderate acute malnutrition receive the support they need to grow up healthy and strong. In 2024 over 880 children received nutritious meals across Sewafe and Kombayendeh CHC. The enhancement of services at the PHUs allows families to access support close to their homes without having to travel to Wellbody Clinic.

Mentorship

Wellbody is increasingly being recognized nationally as a center for teaching and training the next generation of health care workers. In 2022, the primary health care team rolled out a comprehensive mentorship program. This program aims at improving and expanding the quality of care at the facilities. The mentorship program includes physicians, community health officers (CHOs), pharmacy, laboratory, and data management mentors. These mentors rotate through the different facilities to offer training and mentorship.

Innovation

In 2020, Wellbody Clinic fully launched the electronic medical records (EMR) system to instantly access and safely store all pertinent patient medical records and improve care for all patients who visit the clinic each month. The facility is the first in the county fully reliant on an electronic medical record system. The innovative Janitri fetal monitoring technology enhances maternal care by providing continuous, real-time monitoring of fetal heart rates during labor, allowing health care providers to swiftly identify and respond to potential complications, thereby improving outcomes for both mothers and their newborns.