President Yoweri Museveni has outlined eight (8) healthcare and promotion strategies that could help Uganda eliminate 75 percent of the possible diseases that affect the nation.
These include; nutrition through sensitization and education, hygiene (hand-washing and proper waste disposal), through safe water through boreholes and gravity-flow schemes, vaccination, malaria prevention through use of larvicides and drainage of stagnant water, behavioral change, lifestyle diseases, and protecting the environment.
Safe-water through bore-holes, gravity flow schemes, protected springs and piped tap water, that eliminates many water- borne diseases such as cholera, worms, guinea-worms, bilharzia, other hazardous contaminants including heavy metals that can lead to cancer.
For preventive health care, these include hygiene including hand-washing, proper waste disposal including latrines and water-borne sewerage etc. This eliminates many diseases such as cholera, intestinal worms, hepatitis-A.
Museveni made the remarks in his speech at the United States Africa Leaders Summit 2022. He said Uganda has two strategies for health care and promotion including prevention and curative interventions for those who fall sick.
“In Uganda, we have a Health Centre III per Sub-county and there are 2,184 Sub-Counties in Uganda. Regional Referral Hospitals which should be 21. We now have 16 of them,” Museveni addressed.
He bragged the country is now working closely on eliminating medical referrals abroad, mainly for the heart, kidney diseases, and cancers. He said soon Uganda is going to have reverse medical tourism by providing super-specialization service to patients from abroad.
“Uganda is moving well on the issue of health. The pressure is to cause our doctors in the Districts and nationally, to put more emphasis on public Health,” Museveni said.
He explained Uganda and Africa in general are better placed to produce pharmaceuticals on account of the medicinal plants that grow around the continent.
He recalled during the , senior scientists including Professor Patrick Ogwang, cross-matched an ancient anti-viral plant product, that has since time immemorial been used to fight against measles.
He further called on his counterparts to render support to Uganda in the production of vaccines and pharmaceuticals for the improvement of global health.
Museveni raised collaboration between the USA and Africa will enable the World to get access to even cheaper medicines and vaccines.
“In our research for vaccines development, we found that we need 17 input chemicals and reagents, including the one known as Beta-propio-lactone. Our Scientists told me that this was from cassava that we easily produce in Uganda.”
“It is not correct to produce unaffordable medicines on account of using expensive inputs when Countries like Uganda can produce those inputs cheaply. We invite friends and brothers to cooperate with us,” he added.