ABSTRACT
A district-wide; home-based care program was designed and implimented in Kabarole district (population 750;000); Uganda; to provide basic medical care; counselling and home-making services for the patients in their homes. The rationale for this program was to ease the economic burden of hospitalization for the patient's families; to facilitate treatmemt in remote areas without a health station and to reduce hospital congestion. All health agencies in the district participated with their own resources under the directive of the district medical officer. Ninety-five percent of patients treated by the programm were diagnosed with AIDS. Two years after the home-based care program was initiated;15 percent of all expected AIDS patients in the district were served. The home-based care teams were evaluated and found to provide satsfactory client assessments and care interventions. Weaknesses were identified to be program planning and organizational links to other district health programs. Average cost per home visit was 489 Ugandan shillings (40US cents) and average cost per AIDS case was 64;000 USH (53US dollars). Eighty percent of clients surveyed were satsfied with the program and reported that the home-based care staff were capable of solving medical problems and reducing ther psychological strain
