Rugunda urges households to intensify fight against non-communicable diseases

NAKABUYE SHEILAH

The Prime minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda has said the fight against non-communicable diseases should start from the homestead, where the problems begin.

Rugunda made the plea while commissioning of the Kavuya Memorial Health Centre III in Kebisoni, Rukungiri.

The facility was built-in memory of the parents of Ben Kavuya, Erimiya Kavuya and Joyce Kavuya.

It's aim is to decongest Kebisoni HC IV by serving areas of Kasanja, Kajara, Nyakisenyi and parts of Kanungu.

Rugunda said regardless of any initiatives put up to fight the killer diseases by government, nothing will be achieved if households do not champion the cause.

"The problem we now have is non communicable disease. These are caused by bad feeding but most times over eating. This causes high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer among others," Rugunda said.

"So lets use our homes to ensure we keep healthy and stop running to hospitals because their work is to repair."

Non communicable diseases in Uganda claim 100,000 people  per year according to the World Health Organisation.

In 2018 the Ministry of Health launched the national day of physical activity to raise awareness on the growing burden of these diseases

Kavuya, a Kampala businessman said his father died of hypertension.

"He was trying to access a health facility when he died. This is where I got the vision to build health facilities," he said.

According to Kavuya the country is registering avoidable deaths because some areas do not have health facilities.

This, he said, could be addressed if all stakeholders worked together.