Background
The Regional Centre for Quality of Health Care (RCQHC) was established to teach and provide leadership in promoting quality of health care (QOC) in Africa. The deteriorating quality of health care was a concern that had been raised by many African countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) passed a resolution in 1994 to establish QOC programmes in member countries. In 1996 an African QOC Network was formed consisting over 1000 organizations and individuals. At its annual conference in 1999, the network resolved to establish a regional centre for the Africa region to teach and promote QOC. The network asked Makerere University to host the centre.
The establishment of RCQHC was approved by the University Council at its 82nd meeting held on August 16th and 17th, 1999. Council approved the centre to: 1) teach QOC 2) promote research to improve QOC 3) promote evidence-based and best practices 4) ensure sustainability of the centre and QOC activities in the region.
Coverage
From 2000 to 2006 RCQHC operated in 22 countries which include Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, DRC, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia in the east, central and southern Africa region; and Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote de Voire, Guinea, Mali, Senegal and Togo in the West African region.
From 2007 its scope become limited to 12 namely; Burundi, Ethiopia, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, and Benin, Mali and Senegal in the north western Africa. Currently the centre provides training, QOC approaches and other programmatic interventions in Child Health and Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Infectious Diseases (TB and Malaria) and Reproductive and Maternal Health.
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