By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
PARROTSUG|PARLIAMENT:
The Kanungu district woman member of parliament, Hon. Patience Nkunda has asked government to provide free healthcare services to diabetic and hypertension patients in the country.
MP Nkunda made the remarks on Thursday while moving a motion on the floor of parliament urging government to provide free drugs to Ugandans suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.
In a motion, Nkunda seeks to have government provide free screening and treatment for retinopathy, which causes blindness, free blood lipid control to regulate cholesterol levels and provide screening for early signs of diabetes-related kidney disease and treatment.
“40 percent of Uganda’s health centres do not stock drugs to treat chronic diseases and currently the drugs for diabetes and high blood pressure are too expensive for the average Ugandan,” MP Nkunda explained.
She wants the ministry of health to provide free drugs for Ugandans suffering from diabets and high blood pressure.
The motion heated debate in parliament as almost each legislator that stood to make a submission seconded the motion.
The Tororo municipality member of parliament, Hon. Apollo Yeri Ofwono says the medication for diabetes and high blood pressure is very expensive . He adds that in some cases, the drugs are not even available asking government to provide free drugs through National Medical Stores.
MP Milton Muwuma has urged the speaker of parliament to include chronic diseases such as diabets and hypertension as some of the ailments the public should be educated about during the parliament health week.
“We focus on cancer and HIV/AIDS. Could we interest ourselves on popularising how to prevent Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs)?” Hon. Muwuma asked rhetorically.
Sections of legislators also called for regular exercising by individuals as one way of preventing some diseases.
MP William Museveni has asked government to introduce a National Physical Exercise Policy that will address the issue of NCDs.
Like Hon. Museveni, the Bugiri municipality legislator Counsel Asuman Basalirwa argues that some of the NCDs can be avoided through regular exercise and proper dieting. He suggests that government should sensitize its citizens to live health lifestyles.
Drama also ensued the house during the debate on this motion when the Manjiya county MP John Baptist Nambeshe said in his submission on floor parliament that there are several ways of doing physical exercises to avoid such diseases including having a hot sex.
Nambeshe urged fellow legislators to have regular sex but his words were cut short with poin of orders from the house and the speaker ruled out the submission noting that it was obsecene.
He was so quick to appeal to the government to provide free radio airtime to healthworkers to sensitize the public about NCDs.
The of trade and industry, David Bahati said as government they welcome the motion to provide free health care services patients with NCDs.
“The big task is on prevention. We have one hour free airtime on radios to talk about government programmes and I urge you to use this to talk about NCDs, especially the preventive side.” Minister Bahati said.
