Women overwhelm Butabika Hospital

HEALTH 

There is an apparent increase in the number of women with mental cases in the Country fueled mainly by the growing alcohol and drug abuse, according to a senior psychiatrics at Butabika Hospital.

Though bars have been shut down for 6 months, medics at Butabika National Psychiatric Referral are receiving so many young girls  and women aged 18-30 for drug abuse and old women for consuming a lot of alcohol.

Speaking to Saturday Vision, Dr Juliet Nakku, the acting executive director of Butabika hospital, noted that if women who are abusing drugs are not helped in time, at the end of the year, they will be no space for them in the hospital.

"Right now, we have over 350 women with mental cases at the facility, 25% are admitted because of drug abuse and this has contributed to the increase in divorce and disruption of families," Nakku noted.

Butabika hospital has a capacity of 550 beds but during the corona virus pandemic this number increased to 950 and later to over 1,000.

Without citing definite figures, Nakku revealed that several women are consuming alcohol because they are exposed, have money and they are trying to copy the western culture.

"Long ago it was hard to find a woman drunk but these days, women drink from morning to evening, this is happening because they are free, can afford to take themselves to bars and buy drinks.

I cannot stop them from drinking alcohol, but pregnant women should desist from drinking because the effects are highly marked on the babies," noted Nakku.

She also decried the failure by most husband to support their wives, sisters or mothers.

She said that though changing the behavior of such people is not easy and cannot happen overnight, men should understand and support them.

Afuswa Lukwata, a commissioner in charge of mental health at the ministry of health noted woman emancipation has contributed greatly to women's consumption of alcohol, saying that many feel that they are free to do whatever they want, hang out with colleagues who drink and that way many have become addicted.

"There is something unique about alcohol and women, we metabolize alcohol faster than men in the liver that is why many women who abuse drugs end up with liver complications. We need to educate young girls the dangers of alcohol because most of the women in mental facilities started at an early stage," noted Lukwata.

Lukwata noted that the law needs to be improved. Saying that retail shops near schools should not be allowed to sell alcohol.

"Parents should educate and monitor their daughters about alcohol. They should not only focus on boys when it comes to alcohol because girls also drink," noted Lukwata.

In March 2013, Uganda was ranked 8th in the world and the 1st on the continent in taking alcohol, with Waragi taking the top position.

In a survey conducted by Health promotion and Human Rights watch Uganda in June, it was revealed that during the lockdown, there was an increase in mental health among women especially married women.

"During the lockdown, many women did not have jobs, some would struggle to get what to give their children, they became stressed and depressed and to them alcohol was a solution to their problems," noted Nehemiah Natukunda programmes manager at Health Promotion and Rights Watch Uganda..

Natukunda called upon the public not to stigmatise or laugh at these women when they find them, instead they should counsel them or take them to a nearby mental health facilty for quick intervention.

In 2014, the World Health Organization's Global Status on Alcohol and Health Report indicated that Uganda was the highest consumer of alcohol for each person (per capita) in the entire East African Region.

What was more worrying that almost 90 per cent of Ugandans consume unregulated and illegally sold alcohol.

Those who consume pure alcohol, are said to consume 23.7 litres per person per year.