SDA church underlines health priorities

HEALTH

KAMPALA - Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) has underlined key priorities to strengthen the church's position in addressing health needs.

Promotion of maternal health, HIV/AIDS fight, eliminating Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and teenage pregnancies, according to the church are the most pressing health needs to combat.

The Union President/Archbishop of the SDA church in Uganda, Pastor Daniel Matte said the church cannot afford anymore to abandon the role of providing health services to the government and the development partners alone, insisting that it is the church's obligation to take part.

Addressing the church leadership during a health induction by the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) at the SDA Union headquarters in Kampala, Matte tasked the clergy not only concentrate on the spiritual growth but implement programmes on health inclusiveness, to safeguard believers.

The church is ready to support all efforts intended at eliminating all forms of GBV on top of ensuring responsible procreation in Uganda.

"As the Church, we are reinvigorating our commitment to all efforts and initiatives intended at promoting public health using pastoral letters to ensure a reduction in maternal mortality, ending all forms gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies, and elimination of HIV/AIDS," Matte said.


Matte disclosed that the untold stories of loss, pain and incredible hardship caused by HIV/AIDS were unacceptable and demanded a faithful and sustained response to address.

The Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) 2017 results revealed that the country has made significant progress in reducing the HIV prevalence from 7.3% in 2011 to 6% in 2017.

There are 1,300,000 people living with HIV and AIDS in Uganda of which 73% know their HIV positive status. Of those who are HIV positive, there are 67% who are on antiretroviral drugs and close to 60% are virally suppressed.