Over 200 Test Positive for Hypertension, Diabetes at Free Health Camp in Buhara

What the report says

More than 200 residents in Kabale District have tested positive for hypertension, diabetes and other health conditions during a two-day free medical camp at Buhara Health Centre III in Buhara Sub-county, Ndorwa East County, according to Nile Post. The outreach is being run by Sino Minerals Investment Company Limited in partnership with the Kabale District Health Department, with organisers saying they aim to reach more than 1,000 people with screening and treatment.

The camp is offering services that include checks and care for hypertension, antenatal care, hepatitis B screening and immunisation, STI testing, pregnancy testing, dental care, eye and ear-nose-throat services, cervical cancer screening and voluntary blood donation. Assistant District Health Officer Paddy Mwesigye said many of those tested positive were identified with non-communicable diseases, especially hypertension and diabetes, while some were found to have ulcers.

Mwesigye welcomed the intervention, saying such outreach helps residents access care without having to travel long distances and can fill gaps where equipment is not available at local facilities. He linked the rise in cases partly to poor diet and ageing. Sino Minerals deputy operations manager Brian Munanura said the camp is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility work and that patients diagnosed during the outreach will receive free medicine.

The reported findings underline the continuing burden of non-communicable diseases in Uganda and the role of community health camps in early detection and treatment, especially in rural areas with limited medical resources.