Parliament wants Free Drugs for Diabetic People

Members of Parliament want government to provide free drugs for Ugandans suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.

In a motion presented by Kanungu Woman MP Patience Nkunda Kinshaba, the legislators are concerned about the high cost of drugs to treat such Non-Communicable diseases and thus, demand that government provides such drugs for free because of the low stock in public health centres.

“40% of Uganda's health centres don't stock drugs to treat chronic diseases and currently the drugs for diabetes and high blood pressure is too expensive for the average Ugandan. It should therefore be resolved that government provides free drugs for Ugandans suffering for diabetes and high blood pressure,” Nkunda said.

She also demanded that government provides free screening and treatment for retinopathy (which causes blindness), free blood lipid control (to regulate cholesterol levels) and provides screening for early signs of diabetes-related kidney disease and treatment.

Tororo Municipality MP Apollo Yeri, who seconded the motion, demanded that Government takes over through the National Medical Stores (NMS) to procure these drugs free of charge.

In Uganda, the burden of non-communicable diseases is steadily rising amidst a high prevalence of communicable diseases stretching the healthcare system and that one third of non-communicable diseases mortalities globally have been attributed to cardiovascular diseases with about 80% of the cardiovascular diseases-related deaths occur in low and middle income countries, and more than half of these deaths are a result of complications of hypertension and diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. The disease and other non-communicable diseases can be fought off through regular body exercises.

Kigulu South MP Milton Muwuma urged Speaker Jacob Oulanyah to include diabetes and hypertension as some of the ailments the public should be educated about during the Parliament health week campaigns. Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa also bought the idea saying, “Some of these non-communicable diseases can be avoided through regular exercise and proper dieting” and that there is need to sensitize masses about health lifestyles.