Avail drugs for non-communicable diseases –medics tell government

Ms Grace Amongi Oyile, the chief executive officer UNCDA addressing the community. PHOTO BY JOSEPH KIGGUNDU 

MUBENDE. Doctors under their umbrella body, Uganda Non- communicable Disease Alliance (NCDA) have asked government to make drugs for non-communicable diseases available in rural health centres.
The doctors say many people, especially in the rural areas continue to die of NCDs like cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes among others which are treatable. This is because most of the rural folks have no access to treatment in time.

“Take the example of Kiganda Health Centre III, we suffer regular drug stock-outs and nothing has been done by government to address this problem yet we continue to receive patients in dire need of such drugs,” said Ms
Prossy Asaba, a midwife at Kiganda Health Centre III Mubende District.

Ms Asaba who also doubles as a volunteer with UNCDA said although some patients manage to purchase drugs using their meager savings ,many fail to complete the recommended dosages due to lack of money.
The appeal was made during a dialogue in Mubende District yesterday which was aimed at checking community’s understanding of non-communicable diseases and sensitizing them about the risk factors .

Ms Grace Amongi Oyile , the Chief Executive Officer UNCDA, said various organisations like C3 Corroborating for Health, Uganda Diaspora Health Foundation and UNCDA have teamed up to carry out a six-month pilot project about the prevalence of NCDs in Mubende District before rolling it out in other districts .

“We are mostly targeting women because we think they are the most affected and that’s why I ask the government to put more emphasis on NCDs campaigns like they do for HIV/Aids,” she said.
Dr William Lumu , the President of Uganda Diabetes Association urged the community to always care about their health.
“Health starts with you. Don’t allow a person to do something that hurts you when you can avoid it,” he said.
Dr Lumu further noted that unlike communicable diseases, NCDs don’t show symptoms thus remaining conditions of late diagnosis, hence leading to complications like impotence, blindness, amputations and kidney diseases .

He said due to lack of symptoms, 80 percent of NCD patients remain ignorant of their status yet they can be treated if detected early enough.
According to recent ministry of Health studies, an estimated 43percent of the deaths in the country are caused by NCDs due to poor lifestyles and unhealthy foods.
The studies show that deaths due to NCDs had increased from 20 percent to about 43 percent since 2010.

jkiggundu@ug.nationmedia.com