PRESIDENT SAYS CANCER, DIABETES RAVAGING UGANDANS IN NEW WAVE OF NCDs THREAT!
President Museveni has expressed concern over the growing threat of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) especially among urban dwellers which he attributed to reckless lifestyle mainly over eating.
He says whereas these diseases are preventable, many people are feasting on whatever their ‘beaks’ can land on and worse still; they do not do physical exercises.
“The increase in the cases of cancer, diabetes and heart-related
diseases especially in the urban areas, is attributed to unhealthy life styles” the president said in a speech read for him by Vice President Maj. Jessica Alupo who represented him at the opening of the Kamaggwa heath center IV in Kyotera district.
Museveni said that while the infant mortality has reduced since 1986 to date and life expectancy also increased from 43years in 1986 to 65 years now as a result of mass immunization done by the NRM government, the new threat of NCDs is real unless Ugandans watch their diet.
He said in 1987 for example, 96,000 children were dying, in Uganda per year from the six preventable diseases including polio, whooping cough, measles, tetanus, tuberculosis and diphtheria.
He said by stopping those deaths, the population of Uganda has since jumped from 14 million people in 1986 to 45 million people today.
“However, I want to use this opportunity to warn you all about the growing threat of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which are largely about lifestyle. These diseases are caused by inactivity, coupled with over-eating” he said.
The man with a trade mark round-hat however, brought smiles to Ugandans when he lectured that NCDs are easy to prevent.
“One simply has to adopt positive and healthy lifestyles like exercising more and watching your diet. I call upon all leaders to carryout sensitization campaigns, on the health benefits of staying fit and good nutrition to curb these new killers, among our people” He advised.
The president expressed gratitude towards His Eminence Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala for his spirited efforts to trigger the enlightenment and socioeconomic transformation of communities.
He described the commissioning of this Health Centre as a remarkable milestone, as it will boost access to health care and treatment for the surrounding communities.
“I thank His Eminence Cardinal Wamala for being supportive of the NRM’s efforts to transform Uganda. I congratulate Your Eminence and all the stakeholders that have contributed to the construction of this health facility” he said.
Museveni through his versatile VP lectured that the NRM’s policy on health is premised on implementing what he called a clear preventive strategy. He explained thus ‘This means minimizing the occurrence of diseases rather than concentrating on treatment or cure. This disease prevention strategy has been carried out through prioritizing immunization observing good hygiene, promotion of good nutrition, fitness campaigns’
The president noted that this is important because a healthy population is an asset and a resource that spearheads economic and social development.
He said the focus of the NRM government, since 1986, has been to ensure that Ugandans are healthy and educated, by improving access to maternal health services; carrying out mass immunization campaigns against the killer diseases and an aggressive campaign against HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Museveni also used the same occasion to re-echo the NRM’s message of wealth creation at the household level, saying having prioritized electricity, roads, schools, hospitals, peace and security, the government has established a solid foundation for Uganda’s development and socio-economic transformation.
“However, development alone is not enough, though it must come first. Development is a collective good for everyone. But wealth and jobs belong to individuals, families, groups or companies. There should not be spectators in the drive towards increasing the household incomes to make sure we eliminate subsistence farming” he said and named the four major sectors for creating wealth and jobs as commercial Agriculture, Industrialization, Services and ICT.
He urged all leaders to help their people identify profitable enterprises in any of the aforementioned sectors to boost generation of income at the household level.
