Following the increased poverty conditions in Uganda today, a good number of people are struggling with different illnesses but lack the money to enable them to seek medical attention either in private or government health facilities.
A 70-year-old Lucia Nazziwa, a resident of Bbaale sub-county in Kayunga district says she has been down with several illnesses having sleepless nights for over a full year now.
Nazziwa says when she mobilized transport and went to the nearby Bbaale Health Centre IV, she did not get medicine as the medical officers told her that the facility lacked medicine, she was instead referred to Kayunga General Hospital.
Unfortunately, she requires over sh30,000 for transport from her home in Bbaale to Kayunga and for that reason, it has taken her close to a year as she has been gathering resources for transport to Kayunga but in vain.
Nazziwa is among the many old people whose children are either dead leaving them with grandchildren or those who abandon them in villages to stay in town enjoying life.
She was among the 650 patients who turned up for a free medical camp organized by the Inner Wheel Club of Mengo in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Mengo and Lions Club of Kampala East.
The camp’s coordinator, Canon Alice Ddamulira said that they received high numbers of people that were mostly of old age, an indicator that in villages there are people who cannot afford treatment for themselves and their family members.
Unfortunately, Canon Ddamulira says that despite the fact that the government has put in place public health facilities like for this case, Bbaale Health Centre IV and Kayunga General Hospital but they are either distant or even in some cases they lack medicine and experts to handle some of the health complications.
The medical camp was held at Wunga Church of Uganda Primary School located in Kayonza sub-county, Kayunga district on Saturday.
Canon David Ssekimpi, the Archdeacon of Bbaale Archdeaconry which is under Mukono diocese said that the people in the sub-counties of Bbaale and Kayonza are always challenged with health complications because they find it so hard to get transport to Kayunga General Hospital and Bbaale Health Centre IV yet sometimes even those who go their fail to get medicine.
Canon Ssekimpi said that they also find a challenge to preach to poor or sick people because they cannot even grasp the gospel.
“However good and anointed you may be, when your flock is filled with sick and poor Christians, they may not get what you preach to them,” Canon Ssekimpi said.
He therefore acknowledged Canon Alice Ddamulira, a member of the Inner Wheel Club of Mengo for having mobilized her fellows to extend health services to the people of Kayunga.
Canon Ssekimpi also challenged the district leadership in conjunction with the medical department to always think of staging similar medical camps in such distant communities where people, among other factors, also lack money to transport themselves to the government health facilities.
Dr. Patrick Muhindo, a member of Rotary Club of Mengo who works in Bombo Military Hospital said that they diagnosed and treated a number of illnesses including high blood pressure, diabetes, Hepatitis B, malaria, diarrhea, eye and teeth complications among others. Immunization of children from the killer diseases and cervical cancer for young girls was among the services for the day.
Health officers also sensitized the locals about the causes and how to prevent cervical cancer and mental health illnesses.
Dr. Muhindo said that out of 650 patients, 50% were old people and the remaining numbers were women, children and men. He said that patients were also given free medicine and those with eye complications, on top of treatment, they were given glasses at a subsidized price of only sh6000. He also added that four patients were diagnosed with hepatitis B.
