The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health has expressed disappointment over poor health indicators within the population in the Greater Luwero districts despite a big budget allocation.
According to the District Health report for 2023/24, at least 27% of outpatients were suffering from malaria, and 44 patients died of the disease in Luwero district. At least 10,784 patients were treated for diarrhea, 9723 for sexually transmitted diseases, and 7,910 for intestinal worms. The report further indicated that 14 women died during delivery, and 20% of mothers still deliver with traditional birth attendants.
In Nakasongola, the proportion of outpatients due to malaria was 40%, and 27% of the residents practice open defecation. At least 7300 residents are living with HIV/AIDS, but 15% don’t know their status and are not enrolled in ARVs.
Speaking during the pass-out of Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) at Luwero district headquarters and Sasira Technical Institute in Nakasongola district on Monday, Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, said that she was disappointed that the two districts near Kampala city still register high cases of people suffering from preventable diseases.
Atwine said that despite government efforts to fight malaria, cases are still high because of abuse of mosquito nets, citing a case in Luwero district where she found residents using them to trap ants.
Atwine said that in this financial year, Luwero district received close to 16 billion shillings, but it still registers poorer health services than those in remote areas with little funding.
Atwine said that due to gaps in the health indicators, the Ministry of Health decided to select Luwero and Nakasongola, among other poor-performing districts, to benefit in the first cohorts of the Community Health Extension Workers training programme.
At least 202 CHEWs in Luwero and 136 in Nakasongola were passed out on Monday after undergoing six months of training.
CHEWs, working closely with Village Health Teams (VHTs), are responsible for disease prevention, health promotion, and referring patients to health centers.
The program, funded by the World Bank, aims to strengthen the community health system and bridge the gap between communities and formal healthcare services.
Atwine asked the CHEWs to help the districts fight the poor health indicators through sensitising homesteads about prevention and health-seeking behaviors.
But Erastus Kibirango, the LCV Chairman of Luwero district, said that a sh16 billion budget for the health department is still little compared to the high population seeking health services.
Kibirango said that the biggest proportion of health money is used to pay huge salaries to health workers instead of disease prevention and buying essential medicines.
In Nakasongola, Sam Kigula, the LC 5 Chairman of Nakasongola district, welcomed the deployment of CHEWs, saying the programme is timely and will help to sensitize residents to stop bad practices like open defecation.
Each CHEW received a bicycle, personal protective equipment (PPE), tablets, and a blood pressure machine to facilitate their work.
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That population of ” Luwero” is special
As long as the back ground effects of war are ignored,,
One will keep making comparisons with remote areas,
where persons raised in normal family settings perform
better
Where are the “voices” of the population to demystify
your numerical findings
The grounded theory
Hopefully you will remember two subpopulations do
coexist the ones who came in and those who
weathered the storm, selected for by adjusting to
hardship and accepting nature to take it’s course