A medical camp in the central district of Gomba was overwhelmed last week by an overflow of locals rushing to get free treatment.
The Mobile Medical Camp was set up in Kabulasoke village is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President and Xsabo Group promoting voluntarism among youths and making positive change agents out of them.
As early as 9am, a crowd had gathered around the tent for dental treatment. One early bird, Silvia Nakatte, a mother of a six-year-old girl, said she arrived at the camp by 7am. Her daughter suffers from tooth cavities.
“I come from Koome village that is roughly seven kilometres from here. I went to our government health centre but it does not have a dentist; so, we rely on private dentists or charity teams like this one.”
“The clinic will require you to pay Shs 50,000 for any consultations and that is too much for me.”
Yusufu Wassa, 51, said he has been to Gomba hospital several times but he has not been helped. If the doctor is not there, then there are no drugs or the dental clinic is crowded.
“I went there last week, there were over 1,000 people and there was only one person to attend to them. I stayed there the whole day but in the end, I did not see the doctor,” he said.
Hilton Nahabwe, the district focal person at the Gomba district dental unit, revealed that she is the only dentist in the district.
“It is true, I’m the only dentist in the district; we see people coming from far places but sometimes the work is too much for me. The challenge is that some people have lost hope and have resorted to traditional herbs (mumbwa),” she said.
“Someone was brought to me at Gomba hospital some time back with gingivitis and cavities. He was so swollen in the face and I could not handle and referred him to Mulago hospital but he died because he had been using herbs; he had lost hope in the dental unit.”
Nahabwe said that Gomba hospital receives about 200 dental cases. Most of them suffer from gingivitis and tooth cavities -- diseases attributed to poor oral hygiene. In Gomba there are about 30 private clinics specialising in dental illnesses where patients pay between Shs 50,000 and Shs 250,000.
Dr David Alobo, managing director of the Xsabo Group, said the medical camp also treated people for malaria. Other diseases treated included diabetes, high blood pressure and ulcers. Family planning and antenatal services, HIV/Aids testing and counselling, cancer screening and care; eye care services, nutrition education and haemophilia care were also provided.
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