Dr. Nambatya to write for Sunday Vision

By Jacquiline Emodek

Dr. Grace Nambatya, who has been at the forefront of advocating for holistic and balanced nutrition to promote health and wealth for over 10 years now, will have her own column in Sunday Vision as part of the redesign.

The column dubbed Your food, your pharmacy, will feature questions, answers and advice to readers, offer food remedies and prevention tips against common ailments.

Nambatya will also discuss methods of harvesting food, storage, processing and cooking that offer most health benefits to consumers.

"We have sourced an expert who does not just have accumulated knowledge in nutrition, but has been at the helm of official government programmes in natural medicine," Penelope Nankunda, the contributing editor for Sunday Xtra, said.

Readers should expect a lot of information on the foods we have in Uganda, how to use them to stay healthy and how they can be used to compliment the medication we take.

"Food is a central part of our health that we cannot ignore because the nutrients we derive from it make us healthy,"
Nankunda noted.

Who is Nambatya?

Born in Masaka district, Nambatya is an outspoken scientist who holds a masters of science in medical chemistry from Louhborough University of Science and Technology, Leicestershire, UK.

She also has a PHD in the same field and has served as the director of research at the Natural Chemotherapeutics
Reserch Institute. This position which makes her a member of the top management of the Ministry of Health.

Nambatya is a board member of the National Drug Authority, representing interests of research in indigenous medicines.

She is also an external examiner of Makerere University Masters of Science and doctorate research theses. Nambatya is part of a number of peer-reviewed journal scientific publications lined with establishing the scientific evidence behind perceived physiological effectiveness of natural products in form of herbs in managing health challenges,
such as prevention of disease.

She is a seasoned motivational speaker in the area of health through platforms such as Rotary (as a Rotarian of Muyenga Rotary Club), schools and church and was once invited by President Yoweri Museveni to dialogue on nutritional issues.

She is currently coordinating the larviciding programme (fighting malaria through killing mosquitoes at the source), meant to introduce a fourth pillar in the strategy to fight malaria in Uganda.

She has written informative booklets on health management through harnessing our biodiversity for purposes of building capacity in awareness of the environment around us.