JINJA DOCTOR ARRESTED OVER EXPECTANT MOTHER'S DEATH
Government apologizes to bereaved family.
The minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Daudi Migereko, has appealed for calm and patience, as the government investigates the circumstances under which an expectant mother died due to alleged negligence in Jinja regional referral hospital. The 20-year-old woman, Sharifa Nakato Namubiru, also known as Hajira Nakato, died during surgery on Friday evening, after spending about two weeks in the hospital. The death sparked fury from relatives and patient attendants, as details emerged of a family desperate to save its daughter and medical staff insisting on "cash before service delivery".
"It is unfortunate and we are sorry for this to happen in such a government facility; but allow government carry out its investigations up to a logical conclusion that will help all of us since we are all candidates of the hospital" Migereko said. When the minister visited the maternity ward on Saturday morning, after learning of the incident, there were no nurses or doctors in sight. It, however emerged, that some health workers were trying to conceal their identity. Read more
http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20231:jinja-doctor-arrested-over-expectant-mothers-death&catid=34:news&Itemid=114
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633760-gynecologist-arrested-over-death-of-patient.html
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Ministry+orders++probe+into+death+of++Jinja+mother/-/688334/1471810/-/u3jjm1/-/index.html
HOW UGANDANS ARE BEING DUPED INTO SEX SLAVERY
Having spent three years without a job, the offer was too juicy for her to refuse. She was promised a lucrative part time job in a four-star hotel, an opportunity to study in college to upgrade her qualifications and be paid $1,000, (sh2,500,000) every month. When she insisted that she had no money to pay for the passport, visa and air ticket, she was assured everything would be covered for her. Excited, Mastula Nalubowa alias Mercy Nalubowa ran to her sister she had come to visit in Kibuli and told her the exciting news.
"She was jobless, so the allure of that kind of money was too much. Since we were not going to incur any costs for her travel, we gave her a go ahead," her sister told Sunday Vision. Nalubowa gave the stranger her contacts, plus a passport photo. After three weeks, she was called to pick her passport and travel documents. She was taken to a shrine, undressed and certain rituals were performed on her. She was then given some papers to sign where she was required to repay the syndicate the travel expenses and all the money they had incurred on her. In total the figure was $8000 (sh20,000,000)
Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633780-how-ugandans-are-being-duped-into-sex-slavery.html
UGANDA IS NOT YET EBOLA-FREE, SAYS MINISTRY
The Ministry of Health yesterday said the country is not yet free from Ebola and asked the public to adhere to the recommended preventive measures in order to safe guard against the deadly disease, which has so far claimed 16 lives and dozens admitted to hospitals. However, the Health ministry spokesperson, Ms Rukia Nakamatte, urged the public and visitors to the country to remain calm as a consortium of health experts have joined the fight. "Ebola is still around but people should be calm because the situation is under control. It is important that everyone adheres to the recommended practices and preventive measures so that we do not register new cases.
We are running advertisements about all the recommended practices," Ms Nakamatte said on telephone. Ms Nakamatte said two new suspected Ebola patients were yesterday admitted to Kagadi Hospital in Kibaale District. This increased the officially reported Ebola cases to 36, of which 24 patients had by yesterday tested negative but were still closely monitored by health officials to clear any further doubts and fears. The rise in the Ebola cases tally comes at a time when there are continued inconsistencies in how the whole Ebola outbreak is being handled. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Uganda+is+not+yet+Ebola+free++says+ministry/-/688334/1471936/-/118upk8/-/index.html
PSYCHOLOGISTS JOIN EBOLA TEAM
A combined team of psychosocial experts from Mulago and Butabika hospitals in Kampala has arrived in Kibaale district which has recorded several cases of Ebola heamorragic fever. Psychosocial intervention is the process of helping meet a person's emotional, social, mental and spiritual needs to decrease the traumatic consequences of disasters. Twenty-one people are believed to have succumbed to the deadly haemorrhagic fever, although only three of them were confirmed positive for the virus that causes Ebola. The cause of death of 16 of the initial cases was never established because their blood samples were never collected for testing since their bodies had already been buried.
The remaining five of the 21 are said to have died over the weekend, four in the community and one at the isolation centre. Test results from the samples of the deceased people had not been ascertained by yesterday, but their sicknesses presented with the symptoms exhibited by those who had been found with Ebola. All the five were buried by the health teams. While inspecting Kagadi Hospital on Saturday, the health minister, Dr. Christine Ondoa, announced that risk allowances for the health workers involved in the fight against Ebola will be increased. So far, one health worker, her baby and younger sister are the three people who succumbed to the disease. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633793-psychologists-join-ebola-team.html
WHY MOTHERS DIE DURING CHILDBIRTH
When I was much younger, I enjoyed upcountry trips because of the roasted roadside "delicacies" that I fancied a lot and the feeling that in the evening, I would listen to words of wisdom from my parents. For the last nine years or so, however, each trip upcountry has been an expedition with blinds, undertaken to discover stuff less 'historically' significant than the source of the Nile, but insightful enough for me to mention during heavy discussions round raised tables or pots of spiced tea. Last week, I met a young, very light-skinned lady in Kasese, at a place called Bughoye.
I made her acquaintance in a bed - her bed, to be precise, and she didn't say much except to murmur a little bit and then break out into a bawl. She was about 10 minutes old. Her 28-year old mother, Zerina Musoki, named her Kabugho, which I later learnt meant she was the third daughter but Zerina's fifth child. This meeting was fortuitous and fitted the purpose of my trip to Kasese perfectly. This Musoki, her midwife Sister Lavinya explained to my group and I, lost her fi rst child at birth because she hadn't made any antenatal care visits during pregnancy. After that experience, she ensured that every time she got pregnant she made her way to the health centre at least four times during the nine months and ticked off the requirements of a mother wanting a healthy baby. Read more
http://allafrica.com/stories/201208020093.html
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS PUT UGANDA ON TRACK TO REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a discussion with UNICEF Uganda Deputy Representative, May Anyabolu. Anyabolu gave a passionate presentation about Uganda's history of conflict, the realities of everyday life, and UNICEF programs and initiatives in the country. According to a recent World Bank report, Uganda has both the world's youngest population and the highest youth unemployment rate. Currently, children under 18 years of age account for 54% of Uganda's overall population.
Two decades of war, massive displacement and widespread HIV/AIDS infections and deaths have contributed to this unique statistic. Additionally, the conflict between the government and the Lord's Resistance Army has created a large population of orphans and other vulnerable children, including former child soldiers. Uganda's population has also been steadily growing each year, with nearly 1.5 million babies born in 2011. UNICEF, its partners, and the Ugandan Government have introduced various innovative programs to meet the needs of children, youth and women in Uganda. Education is just one example. Read more
http://fieldnotes.unicefusa.org/2012/08/uganda-innovation-child-mortality-fight-aids.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uganda-innovation-child-mortality-fight-aids
UGANDA HAS 45 PER CENT OF FAMILY PLANNING UNMET NEED
According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2012, currently in Uganda only 0.5 per cent of women of reproductive age are using Intrauterine Contraceptives Devices (IUDs) as a modern family planning method. Given this scenario, Uganda has 45 per cent of family planning unmet need - meaning that there is still need for family planning services in the country. There is ongoing deliberate effort by development partners, the government, and the media to increase demand and supply of IUD. Indeed, such efforts should not stop.
While the IUD is a safe and cost-effective method, use is very low in Uganda and the reasons for this are not well understood. But according to studies conducted by the Ministry of Health, there are three main main barriers that impede IUD and other modern family planning methods use in Uganda. These are rumours and myths about the method; insufficient attention to the method during counselling sessions; and insufficient provider experience with it. IUD can be provided at health centre and ProFam clinics at low cost. It can complement female sterilisation and vasectomy to help women achieve their fertility goals, especially in rural areas. Other advantages are that it is quickly reversible, can be used during lactation and menopause, no adverse reaction to medication, including antiretroviral therapy, and has few side effects. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Commentary/Uganda+has+45+per+cent+of+family+planning+unmet+need/-/689364/1471768/-/kxui84z/-/index.html
GOVT BORROWS SH75B TO FIGHT MATERNAL MORTALITY
Parliament has approved government's request to borrow a sh75b loan from the Islamic Development Bank for the construction of a modern, specialized maternal and neonatal health care unit at Mulago Referral Hospital. State minister for finance Aston Kajara said the loan was expected to reduce high maternal and neonatal deaths in the country.
"The country requires investment from development partners to address the requirements of modernizing and expanding its health services, infrastructure and systems to sustain the MDG gains. Uganda will not reach health related targets set for child and maternal mortality reduction unless reforms in the health sector are done," Kajara said. Kajara added said that Uganda is expected to achieve some of the MDGs targets related to poverty reduction, HIV/Aids, universal school enrollment and gender inequality. Maternal mortality stands at 453 deaths per 100,000 births. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633650-govt-borrows-sh75b-to-fight-maternal-mortality.html
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EBOLA
THE deadly Ebola virus has so far killed 14 people in western Uganda including one from Kampala, according to Ugandan health officials. 'Laboratory investigations done at the Uganda Virus Research Institute … have confirmed that the strange disease reported in Kibaale is indeed Ebola hemorrhagic fever,' the Ugandan government and the World Health Organisation said in a joint statement. President Yoweri Museveni has today called on people to avoid physical contact, after the deadly virus spread to the capital.
He also said seven doctors and 13 health workers at Mulago hospital - the main referral hospital in Kampala - are in quarantine after "at least one or two cases" were taken there. Health officials told reporters in Kampala that the 14 dead were among 20 reported with the disease. Two of the infected have been isolated for examination by researchers and health officials. A clinical officer and, days later, her four-month-old baby died from the disease caused by the Ebola virus, officials said. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633571-what-you-need-to-know-about-ebola.html
HEALTH MINISTRY NEEDS SH3B TO FIGHT EBOLA
The health ministry says sh3b is needed to fight the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever. This includes the money needed to run the operations centre at the health ministry and to trace and care for all the reported cases and for local governments, the health ministry has said. Five ebola cases have been confirmed to date, three of whom are dead, the ministry said. However, 13 other people connected with these in Kibaale died and were buried before their samples could be collected.
Health minister Christine Ondoa told journalists Friday that 32 cases were being investigated, while 312 others, who had contacts with the suspects were being monitored. She said an inter-ministerial task force, as well as the national task force on Ebola, had been formed, the latter headed by the health ministry. Ondoa said the ministry was also working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Centre for Diseases Control, Medicine San Frontiers, Uganda Red Cross and others, to contain the outbreak. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633742-health-ministry-needs-sh3b-to-fight-ebola.html
NODDING DISEASE: EXPERTS EMBARK ON NEW RESEARCH
International and local medical experts have agreed to undertake a fresh comprehensive research study in Uganda, South Sudan and Tanzania to gather more information about the mysterious nodding syndrome. The exact cause of nodding disease is still alien to both international and local medical experts. So far, the mysterious disease has claimed the lives of some 200 children in northern Uganda and affected scores of families.
Previous research studies undertaken by international health organizations have failed to establish the actual cause of the nodding syndrome. It is associated with repetitive head nodding and convulsions. Experts who have been attending an international scientific conference on nodding disease that ended Thursday this week at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala have resolved to conduct a fresh study to obtain more relevant information. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633704-nodding-disease-experts-embark-on-new-research.html
VP SSEKANDI VOICES CONCERNS OVER RISING CANCER CASES
Vice-president Edward Ssekandi has expressed concern over the rising cases of cancer in the country. Ssekandi was on Thursday speaking at the handover ceremony of a sh1.3b cancer ward being constructed by the Rotary Fraternity in Uganda, in partnership with Centenary Bank and Nsambya Hospital. Ssekandi hailed Rotarians for the initiative to fight cancer and offer treatment to patients. "Uganda is one of the countries where cancer has had its toll. People have good reason to worry about cancer because treatment is ineffective and expensive," he said.
The visiting president of Rotary International, Sakuji Tanaka, officiated at the handover ceremony of the first phase of the Rotary cancer ward yesterday. The first phase cost sh400m. He also participated in a free medical outreach at Hope Clinic, Lukuli-Nanganda in Makindye division where women were offered free breast and cervical cancer testing. Sakuji commended Rotarians for identifying people's needs and for providing free cancer screening. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633722-vp-ssekandi-voices-concerns-over-rising-cancer-cases.html
UGANDA HAS CAPACITY TO CONTAIN EBOLA – MBABAZI
Uganda now has the capacity to manage future Ebola outbreaks, the prime minister, Amama Mbabazi has said. "Uganda has suffered three previous outbreaks of ebola and we've built reasonable capacity to manage it. Help from external partners has arrived," Mbabazi said. Mbabazi however said vigilance must be maintained until the lifespan of the disease of 21 days has been completed. He was responding to questions this morning on twitter about Ebola, the deadly haemorrhagic fever that was first reported in Kibaale District, over 200km west of Kampala last Saturday.
"We have activated machinery for mass mobilization. There should therefore be no panic as I am confident that we shall contain the situation," Mbabazi said. He revealed that of the 30 people admitted only two have been confirmed to have the deadly virus. Mbabazi said that the total number of contacts with infected people so far is 232 and that all are being monitored. Meanwhile a team of experts from health ministry, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in Kibaale to support the response operations. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633712-uganda-has-capacity-to-contain-ebola-mbabazi.html
EL NINO EXPECTED IN SEPTEMBER
The current rains across the country are expected to continue for the next three weeks in August.They will be followed by El Nino starting from late September or early October. This, Deus Bamanya, aprincipal meteorologist, says is likely to expose people living in highland areas such as Mt. Elgon to landslides and floods in parts of West Nile.
He, however, added that food harvest in northern Uganda was likely to be good because of the favourable rainy season. Other parts of the country, including parts of southwestern Uganda and Lake Victoria region, are currently experiencing intermittent rains (rain separated by dry spells). Bamanya described the rains as good for farmers who planted late in central and eastern Uganda. "We expect northern Uganda and eastern Uganda, particularly around Mt. Elgon, to receive above normal rains in the coming three weeks," he said. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633796-el-nino-expected-in-september.html
RAY OF HOPE FOR CANCER PATIENTS
At a time when Uganda is struggling with an outbreak of the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever and the mysterious nodding disease, it is commendable that there is hope elsewhere - for cancer patients. Last week, Rotary Uganda and Centenary Bank opened the first phase of the Rotary Cancer Ward at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya. Aptly dubbed "Bridging the Cancer Gap Initiative", the 32-bed modern ward project, likely to be completed before the end of the year, should mark a significant step in fighting cancer in the country.
Contrary to popular belief, cancer is common in developing countries, including Uganda, but our health sectors are not adequately equipped to respond to different cancer cases. Also, awareness about types of cancer, the symptoms and causes are lacking. Therefore, it becomes difficult to detect cases early enough to contain treatable ones. As the Rotary International president, Mr Sakuji Tanaka, rightly said at the opening ceremony of the cancer ward, there is need to focus on poor people who may not afford cancer treatment. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Editorial/Ray+of+hope+for+cancer+patients/-/689360/1471750/-/pvcw7sz/-/index.html
EBOLA EXPOSED OUR LACK OF READINESS
The outbreak of the Ebola haemorrhage more than two weeks ago in parts of western Uganda has underlined some deep-cutting weaknesses in our capacity to handle emergencies let alone epidemic-related ones. It is not the first time that Uganda suffers an outbreak of Ebola and the possibility of recurrence has always been there given the history of the epidemic and the environment we are exposed to.
Uganda has had a fair share of unpredictable emergency situations but we never seem to have the capacity to manage them be they road accidents, fires, landslides, collapsed buildings, floods, etc. In the case of Ebola, President Museveni announced caution and warned against physical contacts. While the announcement was a welcome to prevent further infections, it also caused panic. The management of information has been the most haphazard, and consequently, the picture painted about the prevalence of the epidemic is rather alarmist both within the country and outside. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Editorial/Ebola+exposed+our+lack+of+readiness/-/689360/1470132/-/pmvsvcz/-/index.html
US WORRIED ABOUT UGANDA HIV RATES
The US government is concerned about Uganda's increasing HIV prevalence rate and the fact that the country, hitherto praised for her efforts in combating the pandemic, is the only one in Sub-Saharan African where prevalence is rising instead of dropping. US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who was on a visit to Uganda on Friday, said while America recognises the strides Uganda made in the 1990s when HIV prevalence dropped from 20 percent to seven percent, prevalence is now rising, with more than half a million new infections every year, according to the new Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey.
"In 1990, Uganda had the best programme in the world. We saw how prevalence could drop drastically. However, I am here because I am worried. New infections are on the rise again," Ms Clinton said during her visit to Reach-out Mbuya HIV/AIDS Initiative. The US government is the biggest funder for HIV programmes in Uganda, through its President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The US government recently committed $25m to help Uganda eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission and, today, these services are present in 35 percent of health facilities in Uganda. More than 300,000 Ugandans are receiving treatment through PEPFAR. Read more
http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20225:us-worried-about-uganda-hiv-rates&catid=34:news&Itemid=114
CONJOINED TWIN BIRTHS: HOW THEY COME ABOUT
Throughout the nine months of pregnancy, Rosette Tusiime, a small scale business woman thought she was carrying one baby. So did the nurses that were catering to her during anti-natal. She explains that she did not go for a scan because of the fear that she might find out that she was carrying a girl and yet she wanted a boy. However, on June 13, 2011, shortly after the caesarian section, when the doctors announced to the half-awake mother that she had two boys, she was filled with joy. "But as the doctors carried out the twins from my womb, I noticed that they were joined. I was in shock." Tusiime intimated while breast feeding her twins at Mulago hospital, last year.
In Uganda, conjoined or Siamese twins were rarely heard of. Apart from a pair that was born over 15 years ago, we had since not heard of such twins in Uganda until last year in June and then this year still in June. According to Dr Henry Bukenya, a gynaecologist at Mulago Referral Hospital, conjoined twins are identical twins. "They are of the same sex, look alike and are joined. They can be joined at the umbilical cord, the trunk or chest, while others can be joined at the head." Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Full+Woman/Conjoined+twin+births++How+they+come+about/-/689842/1469162/-/sdpyt3/-/index.html
LIFE STYLE
WOMEN'S CAREER VS. FAMILY DILEMMA: THE MEN'S TAKE
The woman makes the home. However much we want to fool ourselves that the home is made by two people, the role of the man is more symbolic. Everything that matters is done behind the scenes, by the woman, even though the man most of the time hogs the glory. So, to me, if the woman can remember that she is the home maker, and can multi-task her job and work, so that none feels neglected, I have no reason to complain.
Jamie
I would sigh in relief if she said she was tired of sitting at home being pretty and now wanted to work. A two-salary family obviously beats a one-salary one, so, she can work. The limits would be if the job is seriously putting a dumper on the way the home is being run. It is assumed we both have assignments and we must get certain things done at home. If time and again, I am doing her side of things, we need to rethink this whole work thing.
It would be the limit if she had to go away all the time. This would tie in relationships at work and what she shares about us with her workmates.
Benjie
On this whole career woman/family woman issue, I will admit to being a little confused. I'm of the view that if someone has gone to school and seen it through, they most probably had ambitions and dreams to fulfill. Now, making them sit at home to raise my children and tend the home is not the reason they got that degree. It is most certainly not the reason their parents forked out millions to send them to the best schools. They would have sent them to Kisakaate and be done with it. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Relationships/Women+s+career+vs++family+dilemma++The+men+s+take/-/691230/1469166/-/xipk73z/-/index.html
BEAUTY CLINIC: IS THERE A NATURAL WAY OF WHITENING TEETH?
Based on my research and product testing, I recommend baking soda. Unpleasant as it feels, it is quite effective and some dentists recommend it. It also keeps your breath fresh. Better still, you can mix the baking soda with hydrogen peroxide to fight tobacco and coffee stains. Mix to make a paste, brush with it and rinse with clean water. Lemon juice, a mild acid, is also a good stain breaker.
In as much as these remedies can be effective, do not permanently replace them for your toothpaste. Find the best toothpaste that will meet your needs, while applying one of these above every once in a while. Change your toothbrush every time you feel like the bristles are not strong enough (preferably monthly). Endeavour to also to alternate toothpaste to tuckle stubborn bacteria form thriving in the mouth. Good luck! Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Full+Woman/Is+there+a+natural+way+of+whitening+teeth+/-/689842/1469154/-/1na2o3/-/index.html
Compiled by
Sandra Nassali & Esther Namital
Public Relations & Communications Department
Action For Development
snassali@acfode.org
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