We can’t continue spending on preventable diseases, says minister
Minister Anifa Kawooya addresses stakeholders in the health sector during an advocacy and sensitization on a mosquito distribution campaign in Mbarara City on July 5, 2023. PHOTO/RAJAB MUKOMBOZI
The state minister for health in charge of general duties Anifa Kawooya has said the country cannot continue spending on preventable diseases yet there are other critical service delivery gaps that need to be addressed.
Ms Kawooya said this on Wednesday during the advocacy and sensitisation workshop for leaders in the 17 districts of Southwestern and Central Buganda regions in Mbarara City on universal malaria coverage campaign.
“Imagine we are going to spend $120 million on this campaign of distribution mosquito nets. If this money was to go for infrastructure development like roads, health it would bring significant impact on service delivery. We need to refocus our energies on prevention to save money to develop other service delivery gaps if we are to have a better country to live in,” Kawooya observed.
She noted that despite malaria being preventable, it has continued to be a problem in the county- contributing t0 70 per cent of Uganda’s disease burden.
“You cannot continue asking us for mosquito nets when malaria is something we can prevent. We are not here just to launch the distribution of mosquito nets but to come out with conclusive strategies, plans and results to eliminate malaria completely,” she added.
It’s against this background that she advised local communities to enact by-laws to arrest and prosecute people who don’t sleep under mosquito nets as well as those who don’t adhere to other malaria prevention strategies like proper sanitation and hygiene.
“We have been distributing mosquito nets but some of these have been misused in catching fish, white ants, fishing and house curtains. We can't tolerate this. Local authorities should enact by-laws to see if these mosquito nets are not used but also on other prevention strategies like proper sanitation and hygiene,” added Kawooya.
Buhweju District’s focal person for malaria Wycliff Turyasingura emphasized that the country should focus on health promotion and behavioural change.
“Prevention is the best approach towards eliminating malaria in the country but what should be our focus now is health promotion and behavioural change if this is to be effective. We already have laws like the public health Act to punish those that might abuse preventive measures we might put in place but let’s first sensitise the local communities , am optimistic they can change,” said Mr Turyasingura.
Medard Rukaari, the national coordinator of the mosquito net distribution campaign in the ministry of health said the exercise will start on July 9, 2023. The distribution is targeting 46.9 million people in Uganda, including refugees.
