The International Hospital- Meet Ian Clarke

I first came across Ian Clarke through a viewing of the ‘Longest River’, when he joined the rafting crew down the Nile (see previous blog ‘Quite Bright and Filming’). Watching him in action, I was impressed by his commentary and observations while passing through the conflict zones of South Sudan, and particularly with his leadership ability within the team. So when I heard about his work in Kampala, I was eager to track him down.

Ian, an Irish medical doctor, originally came to Uganda as a GP and from there set up a rural hospital North of Kampala. His work there showed him the need for high quality medical service provision across the country. He was also eager to show that when it comes to the medical profession that ‘quality’ and ‘Uganda’ can be combined. ‘I decided that my goal was to start a hospital in Kampala and raise medical standards’, he commented. ‘But this time, instead of targeting the rural poor, where I had been working, that I would target the emerging middle income group, and use the money that they pay to upgrade the services and thus effect the overall health services’

So emerged ‘International Hospital Kampala’, a private hospital which provides specialist services in the city. Included are Oncology and Plastics departments, and a nursing school. ‘So it means that you can have a third world country, but it does not mean that it is third rate’, he added-with pride.



The hospital is now at a stage of attracting private sector sponsorship to support a charitable ward in the hospital, so that people who cannot afford the services can still access them. There are also has plans for a medical university, so as to raise the bar on training, and to expand clinical services regionally.

‘The core value is making a difference- and if you are making a difference, you are bringing hope. The ideal of wanting to make a difference, is wanting to multiply ourselves. We are not there just for our service, even making the competition buck up a bit, but we want to take some of the principles we learned and teach other people’.

It has been an intense few years for Ian, who himself has had a battle with illness. I asked him what has kept him going. ‘I have a very strong belief in people, and I think it is my belief in people which enables me to do what I do’, he added. ‘Plus some of it is just determination. You don’t give up and you don’t expect to make huge strides at once. Things happen incrementally, and then you look around in a couple of years, and say, yes, look at what we have done’.

tags: Medicine, Business, Ireland, Social Entrepreneur, Uganda, Africa