PWDs want theatre for hydrocephalus patients

People with disabilities (PWDs) have asked the Government to set up a special theatre for children suffering from hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida.

They say it is hard to access the only theatre, which is located in Mbale district because transporting the children and the caretakers is difficult.

Speaking after handing over wheelchairs to PWDs in Makindye Sabagabo municipality, Wakiso district on Tuesday, Francis Mugwanya, the director, Fathers Heart Mobility Ministry, welcomed the idea of the municipality venturing into a rehabilitation hospital in Lweza.

One of the disabled persons rushing to recieve a wheel chair at Makindye Sabagabo division in Wakiso District.

“Our request is that we look at the special and essential operations like a theatre to avoid overwhelming CoRSU Rehabilitation Hospital which is also a private hospital.

They have helped us a lot, but if the Government also has an arm of rehabilitation, it will further subsidise surgeries and rehabilitation, which would help us a lot," Mugwanya said.

He added that there are children who have hydrocephalous and spina bifida and have to be sent to Mbale whose parents don’t have the money yet the specialisation needed can only be found in Mbale.

"We have neurosurgeons in Mulago. These can be sent to a rehabilitation hospital like the one hoped to be built in Makindye Sabagabo, which can work on the children nearby to reduce the transport costs to Mbale," Mugwanya said.

He underscored the need for the Government to include sunscreen for people with albinism, catheters and pampers used by people suffering from spinal injury and Bifida on essential drugs.

Some of the parents with their children after receiving the wheel chairs at the division head quarters in Sabagabo.

“If those are added, it means, we could also go out of our houses without shame and reduce the rate of infections," he said.

According to Mugwanya, if proper catheterisation for spinal injury is done, children and adults will suffer less infections.

Regarding taxation, Mugwanya said there is a need to waive taxes on some things such as catheters and pampers saying the East African customs Act gives exemptions, but every time they are imported it has to be negotiated with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

 “If wheelchair cushions are imported separately or seat belts, URA charges us, whereas the law says any device designed for PWDs should be tax exempted.

He appealed to the Government to venture into importing wheelchairs for children suffering from severe cerebral palsy because they are expensive.

Uganda, according to Mugwanya, has about one million people in need of wheelchairs with only 18,000 being served.

Makindye Sabagabo mayor Godfrey Semwanga said his municipality is ready with about one billion shilling to set up the rehabilitation hospital to support surgery of children suffering from spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

“We wrote to the gender ministry, which allocated us land at Lweza for the rehabilitation hospital for PWDs. We are still trying to partner with other non-governmental organisations to push us ahead in order to come up with a better facility which will serve both the disabled and the able-bodied people. 

We believe this will reduce the CoRSU workload, which is currently acting as a referral hospital for PWDS,” Ssemwanga said.

Semwanga warned parents against continued hiding of children with disability, saying contacting the leaders will help them source for medication and other support such as wheelchairs.

He lauded Mugwanya for the wheelchairs saying they will enhance school enrollment of children with disability.

Eng. Sulaiman Mayanja, the PWDs councillor at Makindye Sabagabo, decried the increasing forms of disabilities in the country.

He appealed to the Government to extend care services to health centres IV to work on PWDs suffering from severe disabilities.

Rita Nabudde, a parent with a disabled child, decried fathers’ negligence when it comes to caring for disabled children.