KITENDE BREEZE ROTARY CLUB BRINGS HEALTHCARE CLOSER TO KAJJANSI KITOVU RESIDENTS

By PETER SSUUNA

Residents of Kitovu Village in Kajjansi, Wakiso District, have appealed to the Government to bring a health facility closer to their community, saying the nearest one is four miles away and they cannot afford the journey, as they have little money.

Together with their Village Secretary, Ssaalongo Robinson Nsiko, the residents joined their voices to plead to the Government to at least provide them with a nearby hospital to save them from the long trek. They say private clinics in the area are too expensive and they cannot afford treatment there.

They made the remarks during a medical camp organized at Tuzukuke Primary School by the Rotary Club of Kitende Breeze in partnership with the Ministry of Health, which screened residents for various diseases and provided treatment.

Residents were screened for high blood pressure, diabetes, malaria, eye problems, dental issues and other illnesses, and were also educated on family planning methods. The organizers also taught girls at Tuzukuke Primary School how to make their own sanitary pads for use during menstruation.

One of the medical workers who led the exercise from Kajjansi Government Health Facility, Juliet Namutosi, said they attended to over 2,000 people, including educating them on proper nutrition, and screening them for cancer, eye diseases, HIV and other conditions.

She said one of the challenges they face in screening at their health facility in Kajjansi is blood pressure, and that this camp gave them an opportunity to screen residents. She thanked the Rotary Club and the Ministry of Health for bringing the services closer to the people.

She also appreciated the provision of free medicine given to the people, saying it had saved many lives.

Namutosi appealed to stakeholders to ensure that such medical camps include an X-ray machine to further screen people for various diseases that require it.

She said that during the camp, they found pregnant women who had never visited a health worker for antenatal care, and she urged women to always go to health facilities when they become pregnant to avoid complications during childbirth.

She said this is sometimes due to the long distance to the Government hospital, adding that they also found some children who had never been immunized, but were reached through this outreach.

The President of the Rotary Club of Kitende Breeze, Richard Mujuzi, said that because most of their members come from this area, they decided to support the community with healthcare, which they hope has helped, after realizing that residents travel long distances to access it.

He said that as part of their environmental conservation efforts, they also gave out fruit tree seedlings to restore the environment and prevent its degradation.

He thanked everyone who contributed to ensuring the residents received medical care, saying challenges still remain, and appealed to well-wishers to continue supporting them so that help reaches those in need.

District 9214 Governor Daniel Damulira thanked the Rotary Club of Kitende Breeze for coming to the rescue of the residents in matters of health and education. He said Rotary has decided to prioritize health this year.