Over 700 turn up for Kasese health camp
Kasese residents sensitized on cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes among other diseases. Photo by Joseph Kiggundu
What you need to know:
Over 700 residents of Kasese, mostly women turned up for the Kasese health camp organized by the Uganda Non Communicable Disease Alliance (UNCDA).
Over 700 residents of Kasese, mostly women turned up for the Kasese health camp organized by the Uganda Non Communicable Disease Alliance (UNCDA).
According to Mr Enock Muhindo, the Chairman UNCDA Kasese Branch and speaker of the cultural parliament of Rwezururu Kingdom, the residents were sensitized on breast cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes, among others.
Mr Muhindo said the campaign in Kasese was to make people aware of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), their cause and prevention in order to reduce the burden on the district. This was after a number of surveys revealed that the number of patients in the district is on the increase.
He said Kasese District was in 2010 selected to pilot this scheme because a survey at Kagando hospital revealed a high incidence of NCDs, especially diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure.
“This campaign at the Kasese municipal council Health Centre III has helped our people in the district to turn up in big numbers to have free tests of cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure which are killing Ugandans silently without showing any signs unless when they reach their last stages when they could reflects some signs,” Muhindo said.
Ms Josephine Bamuwemye, an UNCDA volunteer also asked the Kasese resident to always have time to have tests of NCDs to help them know their status as far as NCDs are concerned.
“This Health camp has helped us to teach both women and men in Kasese district how to check themselves for breast cancer because both sexes can catch the disease. Women should also test for cervical cancer every year. So I argue all married couple to always have one partner to help the country to reduce on spread of cervical cancer. Let people respect bible which teaches them to have one partner in their marriage she added.
Chief Administrative Officer in Kasese in charge of Health, Johnson Mutungwanda asked government to work with UNCDA TO in combating NCDs in Kasese district.
“We have been lacking NCDs treatment and prevention services but UNCDA has donated to us some machines and I also ask the government to give us more and even increase on our health workers who can treat cancer patients in Kasese, “ said Mutungwanda.
