Kampala University in a partnership to fight non-communicable diseases

Kampala University is teaming up with the Nepalese Society of Community Medicine (NESCOM) and Raising Hope International Friends (RHIF) to fight non-communicable diseases in 10 districts of Uganda.

These districts are located in Buganda and Busoga where Kampala University campuses are located. This is a population of about 10 million people. The health promotion and prevention programme will focus on sickle cell, diabetes, hypertension and cancers.

“These diseases account for 70% of all deaths in the world annually. In Sub-Saharan Africa, they account for 44% of deaths, while in Uganda they currently account for 40% of deaths,” Dr Twa-Twa said. 

Dr Twa-Twa is the Dean of the School of Health Sciences, at Kampala University

On June 29, Dr Twa-Twa and Dr Prajjwal of Nepal addressed a gathering in a virtual meeting where over 1,000 people in Nepal and Uganda attended on the subject matter of non-communicable diseases.

The focus is to cause awareness and influence national policies and community action to change lifestyles, which are the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Twa-Twa is the Dean of the School of Health Sciences, at Kampala University.

Arrangements are being made for Kampala University to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between with RHIF to implement the prevention and control programmes focusing on sickle cell disease and related diseases.

“There will be a sickle cell convention on July 14 at Hotel Africana as a way of furthering this cooperation,” Twa-Twa says.  Besides, the three organisations will implement research in the areas of NCDs.