14m million Ugandans still practice open defecation - report

At least 14.6 million people, representing 32.4 percent of the total population, still practice open defecation, a Ministry of Health official has said.
According to Dr Diana Atwine, the ministry’s permanent secretary, the practice is in both urban and rural areas.

“Despite government’ s interventions on sanitation and hygiene, Uganda continues to grapple with water and sanitation challenges, with 23 percent  and 9.4 percent of the population still practicing open defecation in rural and urban areas, respectively,” Dr Atwine said while officiating at the launch of the Sanitation Week in Kampala.

She added: “Similarly, 36 percent of communities in the country have basic sanitation facilities, 24 percent of which are in rural areas and 47.9 percent are in urban areas, while hand washing in rural areas is at 35.8 percent and 53.8 percent for urban.”
Dr Atwine also expressed concern over the continued poor food hygiene and safety practices such as selling food from unclean premises, food preparation over open drainage lines, indiscriminate disposal of waste and poor housing.
She noted that poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A and E, typhoid, and polio, and exacerbates stunting among children.

“Diarrhoea is among the top three childhood killer diseases in Uganda, claiming 33 children every day. It also contributes to high levels of stunting, which in turn affect children’s cognitive development and performance at school,” she said.
Dr Atwine further stated that lack of proper sanitation facilities in schools leads to high absenteeism and dropouts, especially among girls and is affecting delivery of health care to patients in hospitals as well as increasing the occurrence of infections.

Pandemic impact
She said the recent epidemics of Covid-19 and Ebola have proved the critical need to focus on preventive healthcare delivery, which is in line with the Ministry of Health’s minimum healthcare package.
Dr Herbert Nabaasa, the commissioner-in-charge of environmental health, said 75 percent of diseases afflicting Ugandans, including malaria, are attributed to poor hygiene and sanitation.

He also noted that about Shs600b is needed to enable the Health ministry ensure equitable access to water and sanitation services.
Dr Nabaasa revealed that the current annual budget of Shs2b, of which 90 percent is contributed by development partners, is still inadequate.

Dr Atwine called for collective efforts for all ministries, departments and agencies, and non-governments organisations, leaders and citizens to be responsible for their health in order to reduce the burden of preventable diseases on the healthcare system.
She also urged leaders at all levels to demonstrate extemporary leadership, intensify community advocacy and mobilisation for improved sanitation and hygiene instead of politicising government interventions.