Parents abandon nodding patients

By Patrick Okino

He was among the lucky few who shook President Yoweri Museveni’s hand in 2012 during the launch of mass vaccination, screening and treatment of nodding syndrome at Angagura sub-county, Pader district.

However, due to negligence, Isaac Okema, 13, passed on. After treatment at Atanga Health Centre, he had improved and returned home at Beak, Burlobo parish.

“Parents are neglecting their children because they think they will not survive,” says Lucyamoi Jackeys Onyut, the head of Atanga Health Centre III.

Five children are reported to have died when the Ministry of Health took seven months without delivering drugs for nodding and epilepsy patients.

“The situation is still bad. If money is not released in time, we shall get more problems,” Onyut says.

About 3,000 children in Acholi sub-region are affected by nodding syndrome, yet medicine is not delivered on time.

“Parents have given up because we have not been going for outreaches. Some of the children cannot walk. If they wait for medicine and it is not coming, they leave everything in the hands of God,” says Lucyamoi, who is also the district nodding disease focal person.

Last year, on June 26, Museveni launched the nodding syndrome treatment centre at Atanga Health Centre.

The health ministry released sh150m to support case management and trained 18 health experts to handle nodding disease. Drugs and foodstuffs were also distributed.

There was improvement because of availability of food, good hygiene and acceptance. Many of them recovered and went back to school.

The first phase ended in December 2012. Now, six months down the road, no funds have been released by the health ministry, prompting many parents with sick children to give up on them.

However, two weeks ago, the Government released sh80m to continue with the fight.