Bunyaruguru Dispatch; Looking back at 2021 and how unashamed we’ve become as a people

Bunyaruguru Dispatch; Looking back at 2021 and how unashamed we’ve become as a people

By Aggrey Nshekanabo

The year 2021 took away from us than it gave us. They say, you cannot know where you are going unless you know and appreciate where you coming from. Therefore, the euphoria that was exhibited by Ugandans on the official opening of the entire economy on 24^th January, 2022 is very revealing.

It may be noted that sections of the economy such as the entertainment sector have been officially under key and lock as directed by the President because, it was deemed to be a danger to the people of Uganda since it gathers crowds and therefore, people can easily put their guard down regarding COVID-19 health guidelines of social distancing, sanitising and wearing of masks.

A week or two ago, I shared the economic cost of the lockdown on just one sector of the economy; education. This week, I want us to reflect on the human capital and social relationships and networks that were lost. A diseased or sick or dying population is a very unproductive population. It is in the interest of the state and its partners that there is reduced morbidity (illness) of its population.

The cost of managing a sick population is inexplainable to the families and the state since there is reduced production and productivity of the individual and their caregivers. It also eats into the resources of the families and in responsible states, the resource envelope of the state is strained. The COVID-19 virus disease showed how negligent as a people have not invested in health to manage the disease and it has been the grace of God that Ugandans are alive.

It was telling at the onset of the pandemic, the country had less than 70 Intensive Care Unit beds and the efficacy of providing ICU care was wanting. Therefore, about 70% of deaths that happened probably were due to our inability as a people to manage the pandemic.

We now know that Uganda’s human resources for health are negligible and therefore, there is still a need to invest heavily in the health sector by the state and individual entrepreneurs. We now know that individual families cannot manage the health of their individuals. We now know that the health sector itself is unwell too and its constraints reverberate across the entire economy. Therefore, as we emerge from the lockdown responses, we should see an increase in the investment in the health sector by the state and its partners and the private sector to bring the cost of managing disease down.

We now appreciate the cost of disease more as individuals since we were able to clearly see the absence of the state in managing our health affairs. Looking farther back in some of the prominent deaths such as the death of the former Bushenyi Women MP, the late Hon. Bernadette Bigirwa was because she could not access an oxygen cylinder at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. It did not make a lot of sense to my young mind then. Not that the hospital could not diagnose the illness but the facilities to manage the illness. Another similar case was that of the former Minister of Health, the late Dr. Stephen Malinga that his village district Health Centre IV of Butebo could not manage a mere case of malaria, which resulted in his death.

There are several Ugandans that die every day, prominent on this are the close to 20 mothers that die while giving birth. The major cause is simply our ineffectual investment in the health sector. Several the deaths that happened during the lockdown were either because of our people’s poor health-seeking behaviours and therefore, delayed diagnosis and treatment of the illnesses but more greatly because of lack of the facilities to manage illness but more importantly, lack of trained health workers and the cost of accessing health.

At a personal level, the list of persons that died during this period is quite long and some of them very inexcusable because they were let down by the state to which they served diligently. Why the state? It is unforgivable by how much it has invested in the critical health sector. We now know that health stands shoulder to shoulder with such sectors as defence, after all, the first line of defence for any state is a healthy population.

I will not belabour much on this issue because each one of us has been affected and therefore, continued commentary may not be good for my person as it may be deemed critical to the powers that be and it is not my intention to annoy anyone. Truth be told, some deaths should not have happened had we as a people through our leadership done the right thing. Though now I understand that health is highly political but it reveals how shameful we are and now we can lie through our teeth.

May the deaths of the many persons, prominent and obscure that occurred during the year 2021 convict us all to critically put health of our people at the forefront. I have observed that even the private sector has not invested enough and deep in the health sector. It is one area whose need is unquenchable. Research has shown that the first place of health refugee for Ugandans is not a government health facility but a private one whether for profit or not for profit. It is an indictment of course by the people to the state.

Late last year, my daughter was unwell back home in Bunyaruguru. My family was not amused when I said she should be taken to Kichwamba Health Centre III. I was the foolish one because there were no medicines to manage a minor case. The clinician was honest with me that whereas he can do something, he doesn’t have the medicines. I reached out to Rugazi Health Centre IV where I was born in the late 70s and my parents did not need to know anyone there but 40 years later, the same health centre cannot now attend to my daughter. I really wanted to trust the government facility but could only get help at Rubirizi Medical Centre, a private facility! Ugandans are ready to meet manageable costs in private health facilities as the state catches up with its overall responsibility of ensuring its people are healthy and therefore, productive for its sustenance. It is still vivid with me when, my late nephew was afflicted with COVID-19 virus, we moved him from Naguru Hospital, a government facility because it didn’t have an ICU bed to a private hospital where he died. It was probably too late.

Aggrey is a retired journalist and the team lead at www.kyamburasafaris.com, the proprietors of Naalya Motel; aggrey@kyamburasafaris.com