Don’t ignore non-Covid-19 diseases, experts tell government
KAMPALA- As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread around the globe, health workers have urged government to also monitor the threats posed by other diseases.
Ms Yudita Nassali, a resident of Seguku in Wakiso District, said she had to opt for self-medication after showing signs and symptoms of malaria.
Ms Nassali had been taking a few panadols until the headache persisted. With difficulty in accessing the nearest health facility, Ms Nassali called a doctor friend of hers who offered prescriptions.
“My instincts told me it was malaria so I started taking a few panadols but the headache and fever persisted, and of course Iknew it was not coronavirus because I have not moved away from home for some good time. I had my malaria testing strip but I did not know how to use it, so I called a doctor friend of mine who helped, now I am okay,” she said.
Dr Ekwaro Obuku, the former president of Uganda Medical Association (UMA), said there is need to monitor the status of other diseases, especially the key leading causes of deaths whether they have reduced, or increased to avoid the danger of excess deaths.
“The key ones are malaria which last year killed 4,501 people, pneumonia 2,800 people, anaemia 2,200 and tuberculosis1, 400 last year. All this data is from annual health sector performance report of 2018/2019. So with the danger of the lockdown, there may be excess deaths,” Dr Obuku said.
He said data from the Ministry of Health annual sector performance report of 2018/2019 indicates that averagely per day 3.1mothers are lost, malaria kills 12.3 people whereas pneumonia and anaemia kill 7.8 and 6.1 people, respectively.
He added that if computed the number of people who die per day in the 34 days of the lockdown are 800.
“...What we want to see is if this number has gone up or has it remained the same, and then why are we not monitoring these numbers and we are only talking about Covid-19 which has killed nobody,” Dr Obuku added.
Dr Mukuzi Muhereza, the UMA secretary, said they are worried that patients or potential patients would come in when the situation has worsened.
“I have been seeing experiences from health practitioners and on average, they deliver 20 mothers in month, now the last month it has been half, where are the other 10, they either delivered at home, unskilled health workers and all that becomes a problem and a delivery is probably an indicator of so many others,” he said.
Dr Muhereza said apart from transport hindrance, some hospitals have been branded by the population as Covid-19 health facilities, whereas some think health workers are not at the hospitals, andsome of those who seek services from private health facilities are currently not financially stable.
“Travel to and from hospitals is something that is coming up again and again because it is becoming very difficult. I don’t know which percentage of public health facilities or how many of the health workers are housed in the public facilities if it’s a lot, it might not go beyond 25 per cent so how does the 75 travel to and from the hospital,” he added.
Dr Muhereza has urged government to think through the lockdown, sensitise patients or would be patients but also reorient health workers that non-coronavirus diseases still exist and could be a problem. “We are looking at the effects of extending the lockdown without monitoring, so the solution is the President commissioning the Ministry of Health surveillance team to not only focus on Covid-19 but also do surveillance on other diseases which may be killing other people. Covid-19 is just diverting us like the Shs10b,” Dr Obuku said.
Mr Emmauel Ainebyoona, the senior public relations officer at the Ministry of Health, said all those who have valid reasons and are going to health facilities are allowed.
