By: Ismael Kasooha
KAGADI
The Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah has appealed to health workers in the country to strive and promote preventive health care other than curative.
Nabbanja made the remarks on Saturday while presiding over the first graduation ceremony for St. Ambrose Institute for Health Sciences in Kagadi where over 200 graduands were awarded certificates in nursing and midwifery.
“As you may already know, 75% of the disease burden in Uganda is preventable through health promotion and disease prevention. To reverse this situation, we are moving away from a predominantly disease-oriented care system to a health promotion one in line with the Ministry of Health strategic plan (2020/2025),” said Nabbanja.
The Prime Minister awarding the best Nurse at the graduation ceremony in Kagadi
The Premier said that the country was struggling with a growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases, some of which were preventable.
“I, therefore, urge you to support the Government’s healthy living promotion efforts by encouraging people to protect themselves from preventable diseases,” she said.
Nabbanja implored the newly graduated health workers to be agents of change in the community and serve with dedication whenever they got an opportunity.
“Remember to live within your means and utilise time and the knowledge you have gained to serve Ugandans effectively,” she added.
She said that the government of Uganda had invested heavily in the health sector both in training health workers and upgrading health facilities and equipping them.
“As you know, the NRM Government under the leadership of H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has heavily invested in the training of medical workers and provision of health services.
We are now upgrading all Health Centre IIs to Health Centre IIIs and equipping them. However, these health facilities need patriotic and dedicated medical workers to provide quality services to Ugandans,” the premier noted.
Nabbanja appealed to health workers to love their country by being patriotic and avoid alcoholism if they are to serve the country well.
She reminded the graduates of the NRM’s four core principles of Patriotism, Democracy, Pan-Africanism and Socioeconomic transformation.
“Some of you will apply to work in the public health facilities we have built and these principles will help you to serve our people. As you enter the world of work, I urge you to adopt these principles and make them part of your DNA to serve Ugandans better,” said Nabbanja.
Nakimera Tina Nakalanzi, who represented the Commissioner Ministry of Education and Sports lauded private sector players for complementing government efforts in service delivery.
“We thank the private sector for supplementing government efforts of skilling Ugandans and also offering health care services to the citizens,” said Nakimera.
Monseigneur Joseph Birungi, the proprietor of the St. Ambrose Institute of Health Sciences, asked the government to support the private sector who were contributing to the development of health care services.
Birungi said that the number of students was increasing and appealed to the government to provide them with a tractor so that they could produce enough food to feed the students.
The Institute also appealed to the government to provide internet services to enable students to do research and improve on their learning.
The Prime Minister assured the congregation that the government would address all the issues raised by management and promised to deliver the tractor next month of November 2023.
The graduation ceremony began with a holy mass celebrated by Msgr. Peter Kaberenge who asked the graduates to be curious and aim to learn more to be relevant in the world of work.
St. Ambrose Institute of Health Sciences was started by Msgr. Rev. Fr. Joseph Birungi with a purpose of helping students acquire the much needed health training to contribute to the development of the country.
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