Why We Are Building This
Future Health has operated community-based health programs in Burundi since its founding. Through that work, we encounter the same barrier repeatedly: when someone needs care beyond what a community health worker or dispensary can provide, the next step is the national referral hospital — hours away, overcrowded, and out of reach financially for most families. Ubuntu Medical Center is designed to fill that gap at the secondary care level, within Bujumbura, and within reach of ordinary households.
We are not building this facility to make a statement. We are building it because the evidence — from Burundi and across sub-Saharan Africa — shows clearly that secondary care gaps cost lives and are preventable.
The Research Case
The following findings from published research and major health institutions inform the design and rationale for Ubuntu Medical Center. We cite them plainly, not to impress, but because the case for this facility rests on evidence, not aspiration.
“Only 22% of Burundi’s population lives within 5 km of a health facility, and fewer than 40% of the population can realistically access a secondary care service within a day’s journey.”
“In sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 50% of deaths that occur outside hospital settings involve conditions that could have been treated at a district or secondary care facility — including complicated deliveries, severe malaria, and late-stage pneumonia in children under five.”
“Burundi’s maternal mortality ratio stands at approximately 494 per 100,000 live births — one of the highest in East Africa — with a primary driver being inadequate access to skilled obstetric care during and after delivery, including emergency obstetric procedures at secondary care level.”
“In low-income countries, referral pathway failure — where patients are directed toward a facility but never arrive, or arrive too late — accounts for an estimated 30–40% of preventable deaths in patients who first contacted a community health worker. The most common reason is the absence of an accessible intermediate care facility between the community level and national hospital.”
“Integrated facilities — combining diagnostics, primary care, maternal health, and pharmacy under one roof — have been shown to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure by 35–55% per episode of illness compared to patients who must visit multiple separate facilities, and to improve treatment completion rates significantly for chronic conditions such as tuberculosis and HIV.”
What We Are Building
Ubuntu Medical Center will be a secondary care facility in central Bujumbura — purpose-built to bridge the gap between community health workers and the national hospital system. Eight clinical departments are planned. Select one below to explore what each will offer, who it will serve, and why it matters.
The facility will use the Ubuntu philosophy as its organizational framework: patients are members of families and communities, not isolated cases. Clinical teams will include social workers and community liaison officers who coordinate with patients’ families and with our community health workers in the field.
Primary Care
The entry point for most patients — adults, children, and families
The primary care unit will handle the majority of daily consultations: general illness, chronic disease follow-up, preventive check-ups, and triage for patients who need specialist input. It is also the coordinating hub for patients referred in from our community health worker network.
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Covers acute illness, chronic follow-up, and preventive check-ups across all ages and presenting conditions, with same-day results from the in-house laboratory.
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Structured care pathways with regular monitoring, medication titration, and patient education — designed for long-term follow-up and designed to prevent costly acute episodes.
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Annual health assessments, blood pressure and glucose screening, and health education targeted at high-risk groups including pregnant women and adults over 45.
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Full national immunization schedule administration plus catch-up programs for children and adults who missed scheduled doses — linked to the community CHW network for outreach.
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Evidence-based triage protocols with warm handoffs to the relevant in-facility department or, when tertiary care is required, coordinated external referral with documentation.
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Integrated care pathways for patients managing multiple chronic conditions simultaneously, coordinated across departments and shared with the patient's CHW for community follow-up.
Community Impact — What This Could Mean
We are careful to distinguish between projections and guarantees. The following reflects what we anticipate — based on comparable facilities in East Africa and the documented needs of Bujumbura’s population — if the center is completed and operates as planned. We will measure and publish our actual impact once the facility opens.
Fewer preventable deaths at delivery
A staffed obstetric unit provides an intermediate option between home delivery and the national hospital — reducing the distance and cost barrier that currently discourages facility-based delivery.
Shorter referral chains for children
Pediatric cases sent to the national hospital for basic diagnostics — malaria blood smears, X-rays, IV treatment — could be managed locally, reducing travel time and family cost significantly.
Improved chronic disease management
Patients managing hypertension, diabetes, or asthma currently struggle to access consistent follow-up. A secondary facility in Bujumbura offers the regular consultations and medication access chronic disease requires.
Reduced out-of-pocket spending
Evidence from comparable integrated facilities in the region suggests consolidated services reduce per-episode costs by 35–55% compared to visiting multiple separate facilities.
A reliable destination for CHW referrals
Our community health workers currently refer patients without a dependable secondary destination. Ubuntu Medical Center is designed to be exactly that — with the capacity to receive and treat what CHWs identify in the field.
These projections will be held to account. Once the facility opens, we will publish quarterly outcome data against each of these commitments.
The Ubuntu Philosophy
“Ubuntu” comes from the Nguni Bantu languages and means “I am because we are.” This concept — central to much of sub-Saharan African culture — holds that individual wellbeing is inseparable from the wellbeing of those around us.
That principle shapes how we are designing this facility. The building plan includes communal waiting spaces designed for families, not just patients. The clinical model will coordinate with our community health workers to ensure care continues after discharge. The fee structure will be designed from the start to keep the facility accessible to families on mutuelles de santé and to the uninsured.