Govt asked to establish orthopaedic workshops at health centre IIIs

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KAMPALA - Rotary Club of Muyenga has appealed to the government to establish orthopaedic workshops at all Health Centre IIIs across the country as a way of improving rehabilitation healthcare services for people living with disabilities (PWDs) and accident victims. 

The establishment of orthopaedic workshops at Health Centre IIIs would bridge the gap in service delivery, making orthopaedic care more accessible and convenient for the masses. 

“These workshops would enable the production and repair of assistive devices, reducing reliance on imported devices and empowering local technicians to provide sustainable solutions. Certain types of assistive devices have become outdated in other countries and find their way in Uganda as donations without even ascertaining their applicability here,” he said. 

The request comes after the club's successful completion of the innovative wheelchair manufacturing project to provide orthopaedic services in Uganda. 

Speaking Wednesday, June 26, at the handover ceremony of the vocational training centre and state-of-the-art technology equipment used to manufacture wheelchairs at Katalemwa Cheshire Home for Rehabilitation Services on Gayaza Road in Kampala, Muyenga Rotary Club president Simon Batte said the government should be taking the lead.

“We are celebrating the introduction of new technology, installation of a CNC router machine and expansion of modern workshop facility for mass production of wheelchairs but this should be adopted as a policy in government health facilities in the country at the level of health centre III,” Batte said. 

Through their project, Rotary provided assistive devices such as wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, and orthoses to countless individuals, transforming their lives and restoring their dignity.

At the function, over 60 chairs were handed over to the Katalemwa Cheshire Home.  

However, the club realises that more needs to be done to address the overwhelming demand for orthopaedic services, particularly in rural areas where many are born with club feet abnormalities, spina bifida, cerebra pulse, hydrocephalus, bow legs, knock knees, down syndrome and other behavioural disabilities. 

Dr Andrew Mubangizi, the commissioner for disability at the Ministry of Health speaking as the chief guest, revealed that the establishment of orthopaedic workshops at health centre IIIs would align with the government's agenda to strengthen primary healthcare and promote universal health coverage. 

“It would be good because rehabilitation health services in Uganda exist at the National Referral Hospital in Mulago, all other regional referral hospitals and some few district hospitals in the country,” he noted. 

With an increasing number of accident victims every year, the proposal can help us manage such people who are in dire need of acquiring wheelchairs including the elderly who experience difficulty while walking, he added.

“Accident victims end up having permanent disability and this should be influencing the government to think about erecting workshops at health centre IIIs for easy management of patients,” Mubangizi disclosed.

If implemented, the establishment of orthopaedic workshops at health centre IIIs would have a profound impact on the lives of people with disabilities, enabling them to lead more independent and productive lives. 

Katalemwa Cheshire Home executive director Herbert Tuhumwire said that this would also reduce the financial burden on families and the healthcare system, as well as promote economic development. 

“Attending to the disabled persons and the sick people can be time-consuming and tiresome but if the facilities are brought closer to the people in their regions or districts, this can improve working conditions of healthcare givers and eliminate poverty at the household level,” Tuhumwire said.  

Past assistant governor Hannifer Musoke said that a call to action is a testament to the power of community service and the impact that can be achieved through collaborative efforts. 

“As the government considers such a proposal, it is clear that the establishment of orthopaedic workshops at Health Centre IIIs would be a vital step towards creating a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system in Uganda,” she commented. 

She added that the Ministry of Health should purchase adjustable beds and distribute them in health centres right from Health Centre III in order to promote the dignity of women with disabilities. 

“Access to information by visually impaired persons is still a big challenge because the government has no Braille production unit to transcribe print literature into Braille. This makes it difficult for visually impaired persons to access any kind of information in Uganda whether public or private depriving them of the right to information,” he suggested. 

The demand for wheelchairs in the country is on the rise because of increasing accidents, especially among boda boda riders and certain diseases as a result of unforeseen abnormalities at birth.