Residents of Bunyoro Region have been advised to be health conscious in order to guard themselves against catching diseases that end up being costly to their health and incomes.
Dr Tom Didimus Ediamu, a senior consultant Paediatrician at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, said on Wednesday that most of the diseases recorded at the health facility are preventable once people do not take a back seat that always results in a negative effect on the responsibilities, they shoulder whether personal or at home.
He said top on every person’s to-do-list, should be paying attention to their own health to avoid catching diseases that affect their health and cripple their livelihood.
The pediatrician cited such diseases as malaria, typhoid, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and diarrhea among others can be avoided to keep one healthy and save time for one’s living.
The physician was speaking at the reception of a Shs300m-ambulance for Hoima Regional Referral Hospital from the Minister of Bunyoro Affairs, Ms. Jennifer Kacha Namuyangu.
Handing over the vehicle, Ms. Namuyangu urged the hospital administrators to ensure that patients get the ambulance service at any time they need it in order to save lives.
She said many times patients especially expectant mothers get stuck in villages due to lack of ambulance services ending up losing their lives and those of the unborn babies.
Being positioned at the regional health facility, the minister said the ambulance is meant to serve the entire Bunyoro region and parts of Buganda that use Hoima Hospital as a referral facility.
Ms Namuyangu emphasized transparency in the use of the ambulance urging the hospital authorities to always make quick interventions in case of need.
Uganda’s Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, said now that the hospital has received the ambulance, the custodians should ensure that users get the services from this infrastructure stressing that it should be used to reach out to the targeted patients from smaller health centres to referral ones.