Health ministry to adopt self-care approach

Nov 10, 2020

Due to the increasing health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, the health ministry is set to adopt a self-care approach.

Dr Charles Olaro, the director of clinical and curative services at the ministry, said under the new approach, individuals will be empowered to offer services to themselves or immediate family members.

Speaking during the national e-conference on sexual reproductive health and rights in pandemics, Olaro cited diabetic patients who, he said, should be more knowledgeable about their conditions.

He said for sexual and reproductive health, they are moving to a level where women can take a PAP smear test for cervical cancer themselves. 

"For ladies who fear health workers examining them, they can take the PAP smear and submit it to the laboratory for investigation,'' he said.

Olaro said for birth control, women can be taught to self-inject using Sayana Press. Sayana Press is an easy-to-use hormonal birth control option for women.

He revealed that they have a group of experts working on self-care and they hope that the country will soon have the guidelines.

He also said the pandemic has given them an opportunity to further integrate mental health service provision into everyday care.

"We have realised the important need of the counselling cadre in our self- establishment and the need to have such professionals at all levels of the health system, to mitigate any mental health issues that can be associated with any kind of pandemic,'' he said.

Olaro also advocated bringing men on the frontline in managing sexual and reproductive health challenges.

Dr Betty Kyaddondo, the director for family health at the National Population Council, called on the Government, partners and the private sector to strengthen national and regional supply chains of contraceptives and to ensure that they are accessible to both providers and users.

She said there was a need to position maternal and new-born care as essential, saying this would allow people to travel for sexual and reproductive health services even under stay-at-home orders or with travel restrictions.

Currently, the unmet need for family planning stands at 28% and contraceptive prevalence rate at 39%, while teenage pregnancy is high at 25%.

Reproductive rights

During the conference, the joint advocacy for sexual reproductive health and rights programme was also launched.

The executive director of Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), Moses Mulumba, said the programme will

be implemented in 14 districts — Koboko, Yumbe, Gulu, Lira, Kyankwanzi, Kiboga, Gomba, Mbarara, Kamuli and Wakiso. Others are Busia, Buikwe, Kampala and Isingiro.

He said it is intended to bring civil society organisations together to ensure improved sexual and maternal health and safe deliveries.

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