Senior Reporter
Health service providers in Kabale District have raised concerns about the lack of medical experts for People Living with Disabilities (PWDs), the high cost of treatment, and the insufficient number of centers to repair mobility aids.
These issues were discussed during the opening of the Shs. 3 billion donor-funded Rehabilitation Centre, Cherished and Redeemed Ministries, in Rwamukundi Cell, Kirigime Ward, Southern Division, Kabale Municipality. The center aims to offer free physiotherapy, orthopedic services, and occupational therapy to children with physical and mental disabilities.
Richard Namara, Project Manager at Cherished and Redeemed Ministries, noted that the Kigezi sub-region has a 13% prevalence rate of multiple disabilities, significantly higher than the 4-6% in other parts of Western Uganda.
Justus Buhisya, a Senior Occupational Therapist from Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, informed attendees, including local authorities, that the government had deployed only 11 specialists to serve 1.7 million PWDs in South Western Uganda as of May 2024. He highlighted the severe shortage by mentioning that the region has just one Orthopedic Technologist and lacks a functional workshop for repairing mobility aids like wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes, crutches, prosthetic devices, and orthotic devices. Buhisya urged local leaders to advocate for increased budgets to improve access to health services for PWDs at all government levels.
Naboth Muhumuza, an Orthopedic Technologist at Cherished and Redeemed Ministries, pointed out the high costs associated with diagnosing and treating children with mental disabilities. He noted that a CT scan or MRI to examine a child’s brain damage costs Shs. 350,000 and Shs. 750,000, respectively, while consultations with a pediatric specialist range from Shs. 100,000 to Shs. 200,000. Additionally, medications for children with cerebral palsy are costly, with each Sodium Valproate tablet, used to control seizures, costing between Shs. 3,000 and 8,000. Treatment durations can last from six months to two years.
Girnet Cornelia, the founder of Cherished and Redeemed Ministries and an occupational therapist, explained her motivation to establish the Rehabilitation Centre in Kabale Municipality. Three years ago, she visited the homes of children with disabilities in Kigezi at the invitation of James King Bagyenzi, a local filmmaker and Executive Director of REEL Impact Films. Cornelia, who had been providing charity services to the Batwa Community since 2015, encountered many children with untreated multiple illnesses. With support from donors in Michigan, USA, she was able to realize the project.
Counsel Naturinda Eliab Mporera, the Project Legal Consultant, praised the local authorities in Kabale Municipality for their cooperation in establishing the rehabilitation center. He urged the political leadership of Kabale District to lobby for more funding for such projects, noting the growing number of people needing these services.
The project currently supports 160 children with disabilities from 69 families across the Kigezi Sub-region. It provides services such as covering costs for diagnosis, treatment, and routine therapy, supplying mobility aids, and offering economic support to the children’s caregivers.
