Over 200 children get treatment

By Ramadhan Abbey

OVER 200 children in the city suburb of Kyebando have received free health services at a health camp organized by Divine Purpose Ministries International in partnership with Ruth Gaylord Hospital Maganjo.

Addressing congregants at the health camp at God's Grace Orphanage school on Saturday, the Assistant Commissioner Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Stella Nyapendi, said health is the basic standard of life.

She noted that children at their tender age, are prone to diseases yet they do not have access to health services.

'It's through this spirit as Divine Purpose Ministries, that we have set up a massive health camp to make sure that these children are treated hence transforming their life both socially and economically,' Nyapendi said.

Joweriah Butele, the Team Leader of Divine Purpose Ministries said that as corporates they decided to give out part of their resources to both the vulnerable and the underprivileged people to boost their standards of living across the country.

'This is because it is a responsibility we should all take so that less privileged people can get access to social services ' Butele added

She also implored other cooperates, religious leaders, politicians, and partners to join hands to improve the lives of the less privileged children to be able to compete favorably with the able ones.

The medical services extended to the children included, general health check-up tetanus vaccination for teenagers above 15yrs, Vitamin A, deworming, skin infection and adults checked for blood pressure, diabetes, eye and dental.  

According to Peter Kiggundu, the Chief Executive Officer of Ruth Gaylord Hospital Maganjo, the hospital deployed two doctors, four nurses, a laboratory technician, and two pharmacists for the exercise.

He added that children had gone through full screening and discovered skin infections, respiratory tract infections (coughing), influenza, and aneamia as the common diseases but managed to treat them.

Kiggundu noted that disease like skin infections are caused by children sharing basins, sleeping together with a person who is infected and advised parents to rush their children to hospital as soon as they realize the disease before it gets worse.

Kiggundu further explained that most of the adults that went through checkup were found with diabetes and high blood pressure.

He advised people to visit hospitals for checkups, emphasizing that diseases do not discriminate but attack all whether poor or rich.

Kiggundu explained that there are different types of diabetes, the life style and the inherited one.

Noel Nasoolo a grandmother whose granddaughters received free treatment, hailed Divine Purpose Ministries for availing free medical treatment to their community.

She added that children in their community are facing a problem of skin infections, coughing and asked the government to support its partners with man power.