High turn up for Mulago wellness clinic

By Eddie Ssejjoba           

Doctors and nurses from Mulago hospital say they are excited with the big turn up of clients at the one-week health camp, which they said would help people access various medical services.

The health week that started on Sunday at the Uganda Museum has attracted patients with different ailments seeking free on the spot diagnosis and treatment.

Several others turn up to check their health status.

The busiest stalls were: cervix cancer, nutrition for babies, high blood pressure and diabetes as well as HIV/Aids testing and counselling.

SSP Christopher Barugahare donates blood at the Uganda Mesium during the ongoing Mulago Hospital one-week health camp. Looking on the Mulago PRO, Enock Kusaasira. Photo/Eddie Ssejjoba

Others were dental, Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission (PMTCT, guidance and counselling, among others.
People also donated blood at the camp.

Mulago Hospital Public Relations Officer Enock Kusaasira said that the 'wellness clinic' that acted like an outreach programme was organised to give a chance to people to access different services in one place.

Medical workers mainly targeted serious but complicated complaints like diabetes, breast cancer screening and cancer of the cervix, orthopaedic as well as general gynaecological and urological issues.

Kusaasira explained that the camp started on Sunday but over 200 clients turned up on Monday alone and the number kept on increasing with everything free to everyone.

Josephine Apinyo, a Principal Nursing Officer said the turn up at the cancer tent was very high, which she said made the medical workers happy since people had realized the importance of screening and checking their status.

She said it was encouraging that more people were getting informed and sensitised about the dangers of the different cancers including breast and cancer of the cervix.

"If you screen early enough before the cancer goes to late stages (three and four) it helps because it can be treated. At stage 3 and 4 it will have spread to organs where it becomes difficult to deal with," she said.