Experts call for free screening of non-communicable diseases

Dec 06, 2017

The majority of those with high blood pressure are not aware of their condition.

HEALTH | NDCs

A total of 4,500 new cancer cases are registered annually in the country, according to Dr Fred Okuku, an Oncologist at Uganda Cancer Institute.

In an interview with New Vision on Monday, he explained that the figure might be even higher because many people do not report to hospitals for checkups.

"The biggest challenge is that people do not go for screening. In most cases, they report to hospitals when the disease has advanced," Okuku said.

Prof. Charles Ibingira, the Principal of Makerere University College of Health Sciences, has called for free screening of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

"Despite the foregoing evidence of a high burden of NCDs and their risk factors in Uganda, the response is minimal compared to responses given to communicable diseases like Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS," he said on Monday during a symposium on NCDs at Sheraton Hotel, Kampala.

Ibingira urged the Government to provide health testing equipment to all health centres in the country, so Ugandans can access free screening and prevention against such diseases.

Why care
In a 2016 survey conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO), a total of 4,690 Ugandans recorded at health facilities died of diabetes.

Similarly, the 2014 Non-Communicable Diseases risk factor survey by the Ministry of Health, found that about one in four adults had raised blood pressure and or had been taking medication for high blood pressure.

The survey indicated that majority of those with high blood pressure (76.1%) were not aware of their conditions and, therefore, were not on treatment.

It is also estimated that between 25,000 to 30,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease annually and the overall prevalence of the sickle cell trait among children below one year stands at 13.3% and that of sickle cell disease at 0.7%.

Causes
The four main shared behavioural risk factors for non-communicable diseases include smoking, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, especially those in the middle class and unhealthy diet by many Ugandans.

Dr Bruce Kirega, the director of Makerere University Lung Institute, explained that tobacco use accounts for 60% of the non-communicable deaths in the country.

He further stressed that tobacco contains about 4,000 chemicals of which 250 are harmful and known for causing cancer.

"We are glad that the tobacco vontrol law was passed, but a lot more is needed to stop tobacco consumption in the country," he noted.

However, he noted that most of the risks are avoidable if Ugandans use remedies such as sufficient physical exercises, reduce alcohol consumption and frequently eat fruits.

"In several studies conducted, about 87% of female and 88% of male Ugandans do not consume fruits and vegetables to the recommended levels, and yet they are vital in fighting diseases," Kirega said.

The symposium
Makerere University in partnership with St. Augustine International University held a media symposium on non-communicable diseases.

Prof. William Bazeyo, the Acting deputy Vice-Chancellor in Charge of Finance and Academics at Makerere University, noted that the institution will set up a research, development and innovation fund intended to empower Ugandan researchers.

"The country has good researchers and we should not be relying on foreign data. This explains why we intend to set up the fund. Makerere contributes to over 50% research in the country and we have the capacity to do even more," he said.

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