Health
NIRA Expo brings health services closer to families
At the expo, health workers are engaging with visitors, providing information and encouraging parents to take advantage of the available services
Ministry of Health officials attend to Olive Mahoro, a resident of Namuwongo in Makindye Municipality, during a measles immunisation exercise at Kololo. (Credit: Ponsiano Nsimbi)
By: Victoria Nampala Bugembe, Journalist @New Vision
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Families attending the NIRA My Identity Expo and Symposium at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds are accessing health services alongside national identification and civil registration services. The Ministry of Health has stationed a team at the expo to provide selected preventive health services, including sickle cell screening for children, immunisation, tetanus vaccination, blood pressure checks and family planning information and services.
According to Sarah Asiimwe, a health promoter at the Ministry of Health, the ministry partnered with NIRA to bring the services closer to members of the public attending the expo. She said some mothers face challenges accessing routine healthcare, while others may miss services because of long queues or lack of information. “Some mothers do not immunise their children because of the long queues on designated immunisation days. Others have never had their children screened for sickle cell disease, which can pose serious risks to their health,” Asiimwe said.
At the expo, health workers are engaging with visitors, providing information and encouraging parents to take advantage of the available services. The outreach is also giving families an opportunity to have their children screened and receive guidance on preventive healthcare and other health concerns. The health ministry uses specialised health-promotion vehicles to take health education, screening and selected services closer to communities across the country.
At the expo, health workers are engaging with visitors, providing information and encouraging parents to take advantage of the available services. The outreach is also giving families an opportunity to have their children screened and receive guidance on preventive healthcare and other health concerns. The health ministry uses specialised health-promotion vehicles to take health education, screening and selected services closer to communities across the country.
Through such outreach programmes, health teams have provided services including tuberculosis screening, blood pressure checks, immunisation and health education, as well as supporting vaccination campaigns and other public health activities.
At Kololo, the health activities are running alongside the main objectives of the NIRA expo, which seeks to bring government services closer to the public and increase awareness about civil registration and national identification.
The expo, organised by NIRA and sponsored by Vision Group, Bank of Uganda, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), NITA-Uganda and Tahaluf, has given the public access the services free of charge while learning more about birth registration, national identification and the importance of official documentation. The participation of the Ministry of Health has added a preventive healthcare component to the expo, giving families an opportunity to combine access to government identity services with selected health services at the same venue.
At Kololo, the health activities are running alongside the main objectives of the NIRA expo, which seeks to bring government services closer to the public and increase awareness about civil registration and national identification.
The expo, organised by NIRA and sponsored by Vision Group, Bank of Uganda, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), NITA-Uganda and Tahaluf, has given the public access the services free of charge while learning more about birth registration, national identification and the importance of official documentation. The participation of the Ministry of Health has added a preventive healthcare component to the expo, giving families an opportunity to combine access to government identity services with selected health services at the same venue.