Parliament to pay tribute to oldest Ugandan
Sources at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development identified the centenarian as Ms Lucy Kahubire,131, a resident of Fort Portal City is the oldest Ugandan. Photo | Courtesy | @Mglsd_UG
What you need to know:
- Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa who chaired Tuesday’s plenary session directed for special arrangements for the 134-year-old to be transported from Fort Portal City to Parliament.
Parliament will on a yet-to-be-specified date pay tribute to the oldest living Ugandan.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa who chaired Tuesday’s plenary session directed for special arrangements for the 134-year-old to be transported from Fort Portal City to Parliament.
Tayebwa averred that reaching this age is a great achievement and should be celebrated.
“This is a big record. Living up to that age…,” Mr Tayebwa said.
Sources at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development identified the centenarian as Ms Lucy Kahubire, a resident of Fort Portal City.
The directive by Mr Tayebwa followed a statement by the Minister of State for Gender in charge of Elderly Affairs, Mr Dominic Gidudu, informing Parliament on the celebrations of International Day for Older Persons held in Kyegeggwa District on October 1.
The annual celebration was designated in 1990 by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the needs and concerns of Older Persons.
“The Uganda National Household Survey 2019/20 indicates that the population of Older Persons increased from about 1.7 million in 2016/17 to 2.2 million,” Mr Gidudu said.
Legislators called on the government to invest more in the welfare of older persons, including specialized health care considerations, lowering the age for the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) from the current 80 years.
“Older people are exposed to Non-Communicable Diseases and as you age you get more complications like reduced mobility. There is a big call to improve rehabilitative medicine and geriatric medicine. We must create courses at all medical schools for geriatric medicine and a department at the Ministry of Health,” MR Nicholas Kamara, the Kabale Municipality MP said.
“It is becoming a common practice to see elders on the streets begging. That indicates a problem and it is our duty to sensitize communities to take care of older persons. Government can think of coming up with homes for the elderly instead of them being on the street,” Ms Margaret Makhoha, the Namayingo District Woman MP said.
Mr Gidudu reported that his ministry in collaboration with the World Health Organisation has developed guidelines on how to support older persons.
“The President had also directed the Ministry of Health to ensure that old age-related diseases are provided for in the requests for drugs by lower health facilities, that old age medical specialists (also known as geriatricians) are recruited, and awareness on diagnosis for old age diseases is prioritized,” he said.
