Leprosy hospital stuck with former patients
Aug 17, 2010
OVER 20 people who were treated and cured of leprosy are still staying at St. Francis Hospital Buluba in Mayuge district. Dementiria Kagoya from Budaka, who is almost clocking 100 years, said she was admitted at the hospital 49 years ago and had not heard from her relatives since.
BY FRANK MUGABI
OVER 20 people who were treated and cured of leprosy are still staying at St. Francis Hospital Buluba in Mayuge district. Dementiria Kagoya from Budaka, who is almost clocking 100 years, said she was admitted at the hospital 49 years ago and had not heard from her relatives since.
“I came here in 1961 when Lake Victoria burst its banks and floods displaced many people. Since then, none of my relatives has checked on me,†Kagoya said.
Maria Gorrety from Bugiri, who is in her late 80s, said they fear leaving the hospital because they may be discriminated against due to their deformities.
The acting senior nursing officer, Olive Ihoreere, said they were taking care of about 20 former patients, the majority in advanced age.
“They were successfully treated and healed of the disease, but upon discharge, some said they didn’t have relatives to return to. Others preferred to stay for fear of being stigmatised,†Ihoreere said.
She said stigmatisation is still a major challenge in the management of leprosy. Started in 1934 by Mother Kevin of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa, Buluba Hospital is the biggest specialised leprosy treatment centre in the country.
The Franciscan Missionary Sisters later handed over the facility to Jinja diocese, which delegated its management to the Little Sisters of St. Francis.Leprosy, one of the oldest diseases known to mankind, is curable if diagnosed early.
Historically, people with the condition have been rejected by the community. Today, the disease has been eliminated as a public health problem in most countries.
However, Ihoreere said the disease is still prevalent in Uganda. She revealed that they received 33 cases in 2007 and a similar number in 2008. In 2009, the number rose to 44, while 19 cases have so far been recorded this year, a sign that the disease could be on the rise.
Statistics show that most of the cases come from Busoga region, although some cases have been registered from the west and central regions.
OVER 20 people who were treated and cured of leprosy are still staying at St. Francis Hospital Buluba in Mayuge district. Dementiria Kagoya from Budaka, who is almost clocking 100 years, said she was admitted at the hospital 49 years ago and had not heard from her relatives since.
“I came here in 1961 when Lake Victoria burst its banks and floods displaced many people. Since then, none of my relatives has checked on me,†Kagoya said.
Maria Gorrety from Bugiri, who is in her late 80s, said they fear leaving the hospital because they may be discriminated against due to their deformities.
The acting senior nursing officer, Olive Ihoreere, said they were taking care of about 20 former patients, the majority in advanced age.
“They were successfully treated and healed of the disease, but upon discharge, some said they didn’t have relatives to return to. Others preferred to stay for fear of being stigmatised,†Ihoreere said.
She said stigmatisation is still a major challenge in the management of leprosy. Started in 1934 by Mother Kevin of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa, Buluba Hospital is the biggest specialised leprosy treatment centre in the country.
The Franciscan Missionary Sisters later handed over the facility to Jinja diocese, which delegated its management to the Little Sisters of St. Francis.Leprosy, one of the oldest diseases known to mankind, is curable if diagnosed early.
Historically, people with the condition have been rejected by the community. Today, the disease has been eliminated as a public health problem in most countries.
However, Ihoreere said the disease is still prevalent in Uganda. She revealed that they received 33 cases in 2007 and a similar number in 2008. In 2009, the number rose to 44, while 19 cases have so far been recorded this year, a sign that the disease could be on the rise.
Statistics show that most of the cases come from Busoga region, although some cases have been registered from the west and central regions.