PS blames rising TB cases on patients

Kayunga. The Health ministry permanent secretary, Dr Diana Atwine, has blamed the increasing cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the country on failure by patients to seek proper treatment.
“Although we now have facilities at all general hospitals that can be used to test TB in the blood, many people with the disease use antibiotics to treat the disease. This has caused TB resistance to drugs used to treat the disease,” she said.
According to statistics at the Ministry of Health, TB prevalence in Uganda last year stood at 253 per 100,000 people.
Ms Atwine was on Tuesday inspecting renovation and expansion works of Kayunga General Hospital.
The Shs70b renovation works of the facility began early last year and are being undertaken by Arab Contractors (U) Ltd. Mr Haytham Elderby, the project manager, said it will be handed over by next February. Fifty-five per cent of the works have been done, Mr Elderby said.
“I am impressed with the quality of the construction works and I hope we shall get value for money,” Dr Atwine said.
Ms Atwine, however, asked the contractor to fast-track completion of the new block so that the hospital medical laboratory and theatre can be relocated there.
“I don’t want the construction works to interfere with service delivery,” she said. Mr Joel Aita, the managing director Joadah Consult, the project design and supervision consultant, said the hospital will have a new emergency (casualty) department, new operating theatres, a new out-patient department and new administration office block.
The engineering works, Mr Aita added, will result in expansion of the in-patient wards, 130 new staff houses, rehabilitation of the water supply and sewerage systems alongside new kitchen and laundry facilities.