Features catergory

By Flavia Nassaka As world marks AIDS day, the country struggles to fast-track treatment for all On Dec. 01, the world marked this year’s World AIDS Day under the theme:`Fast track-ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030’. A week before the event, a United Nations Agency UNAIDS released a new report …

By Flavia Nassaka The best ways to mark `Movember’ – the prostate awareness month November is every man’s month. It is ‘Movember’ – Prostate cancer awareness month. The Movember Foundation started in 2004 in Melbourne, Australia set aside November as a month of raising awareness for prostate cancer – detection, …

By the Indepenent Team Fact is many of us are preparing to run Uganda’s big Marathon this November or, more accurately, the 10K series of it. Since the 10km run should present few challengers for routine runners, this article targets especially individuals who jump in because – hey, everyone is …

By Flavia Nassaka Doctors say is ten times more deadly than HIV Kenneth Kabagambe, a university graduate, only got to learn about hepatitis B, when a colleague succumbed to the infection.  “The way he was buried scared me. They didn’t allow anybody to get close to the body just as …

By Flavia Nassaka Health sector experts say they pose new challenges The new World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, including requiring that Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs  are provided immediately a patient is diagnosedto be HIV positive, could be difficult to implement, according to health sector experts. Previous WHO guidelines required doctors to …

By the Indepenent Team The Global Nutrition Report 2015 was launched on Oct. 30 as part of celebrations to mark the Africa Day of Food Nutrition and Security. The Independent’s Flavia Nassaka spoke to Mohamed AgBendech, the senior nutrition officer at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United …

By Flavia Nassaka Window dressing without real substance On May 14, Davis Mujimu Majwega was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).  A few weeks later, the 18 year old was started on treatment.  Since he is insured, his first medical expenses were taken care …

By Flavia Nassaka Ask questions and demand answers from your doctor Robinah Kaitiritimba, the Executive Director of Uganda National Health Consumers’ Organisation (UNHCO) is helping those whose rights have allegedly been violated seek justice but she is faced with a tough situation – gathering proof.   Earlier in the year, the …

By Isaac Khisa Insurers warn on IRA-U’s new guidelines on health insurance Uganda’s move to introduce new guidelines in the medical segment of the insurance industry are likely to hurt the growth of Health Membership Organizations, as the country moves to streamline their operations. The new guidelines, which came into …

By Flavia Nassaka Joseph Kanyike tested positive for HIV in 2009. In 2011, the 42-year old was diagnosed with Kaposi’s sarcoma. This is a viral cancer that causes wounds on the skin and inside the body which, in most cases, are impossible to cure. Kanyike’s wound is at the back …