Older people in Uganda have appealed to government to for affirmative action on the provision of health services to older people in all government hospitals.
During the national celebrations for the International Day of Older Persons, held at the Kyenjojo district headquarters, Kasiina Peter Nyakatura, the national elderly representative, said there is a need for health providers to give older people direct services so they can avoid lining up.
Nyakatura says that the system should be taken down to the rural areas where most older persons live, particularly given the fact that older persons find problems in lining up to get drugs.
He challenged the government to include on its essential drugs list the drugs used to treat diseases that affect older persons.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as the chief guest at the celebrations. In a speech, read by his vice Prof Edward Kiwanuka Sekandi, President Museveni said the government is committed to ensuring that health services are equipped with the facilities and skilled personnel necessary to meet the special needs of the older population.
The president said that it’s the responsibly of individuals to maintain a healthy life style so as to reach old age. He added that the government is determined to create a supportive environment, which enables the advancement of health and wellbeing into old age.
