Bicycle Ambulances in rural Uganda - Analysis of factors influencing its usage

This article reports on a study undertaken to analyze the usage of the bicycle ambulances in Uganda. Since 1997, approximately 400 bicycle ambulances have been distributed to villages in rural Uganda to improve accessibility to health centers. Approximately 20% of the population of Uganda have to travel more than 5 km to a health center, in a country where most transportation is by foot. A bicycle ambulance is a bicycle with an attached trailer used to transport seriously sick patients up to 15 km. The author conducted guided interviews with receivers and the distributors of bicycle ambulances in selected villages. Factors have been defined that influence the usage of bicycle ambulances, including individual village characteristics, the features of the bicycle ambulance, the system of distribution, and the organization of the groups using the bicycle ambulances. The distance to the health center, nor the distance to the main road and quality of the road itself significantly influenced the usage of the bicycle ambulance. The frequency of usage of the bicycle ambulances was limited to a few cases in a month or year. The only significant influence on the frequency of usage was observed based on the different organizational structures of the bicycle ambulance groups. The author considers some of the barriers to use, including long distances to health centers and costs of repairs, but notes that these and other barriers can be overcome through the positive attitude of group members.