Youth want more interactive patient-doctor engagement

Youth have asked health workers to actively engage patients while carrying out diagnosis and treatment.

The appeal was made by a youth sexual and reproductive health advocate, Priscilla Nabatanzi, during a youth breakaway networking session held at Serena Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday.

The networking session was part of the 2^nd National Planning Conference. 

Nabatanzi said when a patient goes to see a doctor or nurse, all they do is write as the patient just looks on with no idea of what this person is writing about.

In addition, she noted that some doctors after writing, they refer the patient to either another doctor or pass on a written note and ask you to take it to the dispensary.

"In most cases, the patient is not even told what they are suffering from. You just see them writing endlessly, and to make matters worse, most of them write in a way one cannot easily understand," Nabatanzi said.

"We ask doctors and nurses to talk to patients when they come seeking for treatment by explaining what one is suffering from, the cause and prevention," she added.

The networking session was hosted by Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) in partnership with the Ministry of Health.

It brought together young people, policy makers as well as a selected group of family planning experts and champions.

The two day event was organized under the theme "Investing in Our Future: Addressing Family Planning within the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Youthful Uganda".

A number of issues related to sexual and reproductive health rights were discussed ranging from what age young people should access sexual and reproductive health services and information, stigma associated with contraceptives and sex and how some service providers are still scared to speak about contraceptives among others.

During the meeting, some youth raised a concern that when they go to health facilities seeking for advice on different types of family planning, service providers tell them to use pills.

"When we young people go to service providers for sexual and reproductive health services, we want to be given the right information on different family planning methods available, advantages and effects of each method so that we make informed decisions," she said.

Sr. Miriam Namugere, the principal nursing officer in the Ministry of Health's reproductive health division explained that most health facilities especially health centre IIs and IIIs use the push system where they are given injectables and oral contraceptives.

Namugere said though government is the lead health service provider, more partnerships with the private sector in sexual and reproductive health services can add more value in providing those services to young people.