(Credit: Adolf Ayoreka)

HEALTH

By Adolf Ayoreka in Entebbe

At least 200 patients, mostly elderly women, from Entebbe Municipality were diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes at a medical camp.

It was organized by Jehovah Alive for Old Age in conjunction with the Special Forces Command (SFC) and Uganda Peoples Defence Air Force (UPDAF) medical teams.

The rampant cases were attributed to lack of consistency in taking of drugs by most patients as well as the long distances they have to trek to reach health centers.

Dr. Charles Emuduko, who headed the medical camp that was held in Entebbe town, said most people who are in the evening of their life lack awareness about where to find drugs.

"After doing these medical camps which we are using as pilot studies, we shall put up a resource center that will be well equipped with all the drugs and all information regarding all kinds of diseases but our main focus will be on elderly persons," he said.

Emuduko commended the SFC and UPDAF for supporting the medical camp and asked companies to come onboard and ensure that they offer medical services especially to the vulnerable groups.

Happy Mmila, the public relations officer of Jehovah Alive for Old Age, told New Vision that 85% of the cases diagnosed were for hypertension and diabetes and that the rest were malaria, joint pain and dental-related issues.

"In most camps we carry out, we have found out that most elderly persons have no money to buy consistently these drugs. Others tell us that they don't know how to administer themselves these drugs," she said.

"Some of them say they are too old to walk by themselves to the health centers to get drugs. But we managed to give drugs to all the patients and those that we found with complicated cases we would issue referral letters to Entebbe General Hospital and Mulago National Referral Hospital."