Uganda’s Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, has warned the public against mistaking tuberculosis and leprosy to be witchcraft-related diseases.
“You know very well that tuberculosis kills 30 people every day and approximately 91000 patients are registered every year in Uganda. That’s what is on record, but instead of seeking proper medication, people still go to witchdoctors to get remedies,” Dr Atwine said during the TB and leprosy prevention dialogue in Kampala on Monday.
She noted that most people wait for the situation to worsen before they seek medical attention which is very dangerous to their lives.
“There are also these people in villages who call themselves professional doctors yet they have never stepped in any medical schools. We invite the district health officers to help us with that,” she added.
Dr Stavia Turyahebwa, the Assistant Commissioner of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, said Uganda is among the top 30 countries in the whole world that are still struggling with a high number of TB cases.
She said that the disease is more common among men (between 15 and 54 years) than women because they are the ones who mostly use cigarettes and are always in public gatherings.
“We want to make sure that people go for testing and those found positive, they get treatment. Also, we encourage patients to always complete their doses as prescribed by the medical doctors so as to totally eliminate the deadly disease,” Turyahebwa said.
About leprosy, Dr Turyahebwa, said the problem is still high in districts like Kiboga, Nakaseke, Luweero, Kayunga, and Kalangala where they record at least three patients per district every day.
Dr Turyahebwa attributed the prevalence to lack of awareness and sensitisation about the disease, although most people in these districts attribute them to witchcraft.
