By; Olivia Nabaggala
Buganda Kingdom has handed over 110 million shillings to the Central Public Health Laboratory Butabika in an effort of fighting sickle cell diseases in the country.
The money was collected from the Kabaka’s birth day run 2017 which was arguably the most attended as dedicated towards helping sickle cell patients.
Last year, government opened the National Health Laboratory Complex to allow for improved laboratory diagnosis and reduce the number of Ugandans referred abroad for diagnosis.
While at the handover ceremony held at Bulange Mengo, Buganda premier Charles Peter Mayiga appeals to the leaders at the central public health laboratory to utilize the resources responsibly.
Mayiga also re-emphasizes that sickle cell is a genetic disease which people should not mix with witch craft.
Delivering her speech, the State Minister for Health In charge of General Duties Sarah Opendi reveals that central government has a plan of having a functional sickle cell clinic in every district to ensure accessibility for treatment than all crowding at Mulago Hospital.
She further advises couples to always test for sickle cell genies before they get married in order to know their partners’ status before they born children born.
The demographic survey on sickle cells 2016 indicates that about 12,000 to 16,000 children below five years die of sickle cell disease annually in Uganda.
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