Health workers in Bugiri District are grappling with a rising number of eye disease cases linked to infections, diabetes and high blood pressure, with some patients suffering permanent vision loss, a specialist has said.
Barbara Nankwanga, an eye specialist at Bugiri General Hospital, said more than 570 patients turned up for an eye screening exercise organised by Bugiri Sugar Company, overwhelming the available specialists.
She said some patients had already developed irreversible vision problems associated with poorly managed diabetes and high blood pressure.
‘We are overwhelmed by the number of patients, but we are doing our best to attend to them. We call upon people with eye problems to visit Bugiri General Hospital from Monday to Friday for screening and medical advice from specialists,’ she said.
Nankwanga said the district has only a few eye specialists, affecting the delivery of services to the growing number of patients.
‘The eye specialists, like me, are very few in the district. I call upon the government to recruit more specialists to improve service delivery,’ she said.
She also appealed to the government and development partners to provide more equipment, including testing machines, glasses and medicines, to improve eye care services.
Nankwanga said older people are particularly vulnerable to eye diseases because of reduced blood flow and tissue breakdown in the eye.
She advised residents to eat foods rich in vitamins A, C and E, including green vegetables, while limiting excessive consumption of oil, sugar and sweets.
‘Many people are likely to lose their vision because of poor eating habits. We should avoid consuming too much oil, sugar and other sweets so that we can live healthy lives,’ she said.
District promises health camp
Martha Namboozo, the district secretary for health and education, said the shortage of eye specialists would be raised at the next district council meeting as leaders consider ways of improving specialist services.
‘We know there is a shortage of drugs and eye specialists across the country. We will organise a health camp before the end of the month to provide specialist care,’ Namboozo said.
She urged residents with eye problems to register with the office of the medical superintendent at Bugiri General Hospital.
Kusiima Nabosi, the manager of Bugiri Sugar Company, said the screening exercise followed concerns raised by specialists at the hospital over the increasing number of eye patients.
He said improving health services was among the company’s priorities because the health of sugarcane farmers affects their productivity.
‘We want to ensure that people in this area benefit from the company in various ways, including through employment opportunities,’ he said.
The company also donated motorcycles, bicycles and other items to top-performing sugarcane farmers.
RDC warns against health worker misconduct
Resident District Commissioner Richard Gulume urged health workers to treat patients properly and warned against theft of government medicines.
He asked residents to report health workers involved in misconduct so that they can be held accountable.
‘I urge the people of Bugiri to work with the RDC’s office and report any issues because the government invests large sums of money in various sectors,’ he said.
Gulume also commended Bugiri Sugar Company for creating jobs for young people, saying employment opportunities had helped reduce theft and improve household incomes.