COMMENT NEW VISION, Wednesday, February 8, 2017 15

TRIBUTE Dr Mungherera was an exemplary health advocate

By Robina Biteyi

t was with a great sense of loss, shock and disbelief to many Iof us in the civil society fraternity, when we learned of the death of Dr. Margaret Mungherera. She will always be remembered for Minister Musa Ecweru overseeing food distribution to the famine-stricken Karimojong during one of the hard times her passion and sustained advocacy efforts, particularly for advocating for Dr. Margaret Mungherera Dr Myers Lugemwa, medical practitioner recruitment, improved remuneration and retention and welfare of health workers, at all levels of healthcare but more especially at health centres III and IV, where the majority of the population accesses essential basic health care services. The Government, under several plans and frameworks We can avoid food shortages such as the UN Secretary General Global Strategy for Women and Children’s Health (2011), the National Strategy et us thank God for sputtering during winter. Further proof that human is to end Maternal and Newborn Mortality and Morbidity in some drops of rain to drench to error and not error is human in this case. Uganda (2011-2015) and most recently, A Promise Renewed- the desiccated soils that were For the last couple of years now, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn no longer able to give life to Ugandans have cut trees planted by our and Child and Adolescent Health Lour maize, cassava, banana fore fathers abundantly and with abandon! Uganda -Sharpened Plan (2015-2020) plantations and other shrubs We have destroyed swamps and other committed to providing emergency for our cattle, goats and sheep, without water catchment areas. Able-bodied men obstetric and neonatal care services putting the wild game into oblivion! and women have migrated to the city and continues at HCs III and IV. Thank you God, but like Oliver Twist, other towns, leaving the old and haggard However, evidence continues we want more of this rain in order to to till the land using muscle power, power to lose 17 to show a critical shortage of recuperate from what we have gone that cannot make substantial yield for doctors and midwives at these through; the scorching sun, drought and domestic consumption and sale. two levels of care. The negative drying water wells including receding water Experience is the best teacher. Eating mothers stories of the effects of inadequate levels of big lakes like Edward and Kioga potato peelings or half a meal a day should human resources on the survival in last three months or so. wake us up. We should not continue doing and 106 of mothers and newborns are a All this notwithstanding and cognisant By November last many wrong things the right way and few common occurrence in our local of the old adage that ‘to error is human’, right things the wrong way! I wish to opine media and through personal stories in Uganda, we seem to have negated this thus: newborns and experiences. According to the adage to read ‘human is to error’. year, 1.3 million The Government through NEMA should UDHS, 2011, Uganda continues to The excerpt during the news bulletin punish people destroying environment. daily lose 17 mothers and 106 newborns on one local TV station last week showing people globally Any charcoal burner should plant two daily. Most of these deaths are a people in Galilaya in Kayunga district trees for every one tree cut for the purpose. result of a weak health system. drying potato peelings to be later mashed In the olden days, one had to show cause In the Financial Year 2012/2013, the civil society accelerated into a meal was not only absurd but were experiencing as to the local chief in the village why they advocacy efforts for increased recruitment and motivation confirms that human is to error here. had to cut trees like musizi, muvule even of doctors and midwives working at HCs III and IV. Civil These peelings, as the woman being starvation when they had planted them themselves. society and health professional organisations, including Dr. interviewed by the TV crew said, had been In a state like Florida (USA), trees Mungherera, who was then the President of the Uganda bought from some other place where some are even trimmed by a tree surgeon Medical Association and later, the President of World Medical potato gardens and other plantain had the disappearance of the snow caps on demonstrating the importance of Association, worked together, held meetings and developed survived the scorching sun. Probably, it Mt. Rwenzori, we must act now and not environment protection. Have you ever recommendations for improved remuneration and motivation is by human error that we have reached tomorrow, to control, prevent and mitigate heard Americans eating half a meal a day of doctors and midwives working at lower health units. this level of eating potato peelings like the what we have just experienced in the last or potato peelings? Several advocacy meetings were held with maternal health Biblical prodigal son. couple of months! The Government should budget for champions in Parliament, budget and health committees of Potatoes parse, despite their sweet By November last year, 1.3 million people tractors for every sub-county, to be hired Parliament. nature, have not been very favourite viands were experiencing starvation due to lack by wananchi in order to increase food As a result, the Government approved and provided sh49.5b compared to matooke, millet or maize meal of what to put down their throat. By this production in the country. This used to for recruitment of over 10,000 health workers to fill all the for certain communities. A saying goes in month alone, almost eight million people happen in the early sixties. Recall the green existing staffing gaps at lower level health units and doubled the old Ankole kingdom when drought are on the verge of total starvation. German tractors called Deutz those years? remuneration of doctors working at HCs IV from sh1.2m to struck at the turn of the 19th century, Even when the rains come, food will not Enforce by-laws to make every household sh2.5m because potatoes were rarely eaten by grow overnight. So until around April/ have a granary in rural areas for food Ensuring recruitment, motivation and retention of health some communities then that, “Ekyokurya May, food will continue to be scarce, if not security as was in the olden days. workers is a foundation of a strong functional health system. enkonya, ndya ebitakuri”. more scarce. This is evidenced by the dying The Government should reinstate silos at The best tribute we can pay to Dr. Mungherera’s memory as Literally meaning that I would rather eat and the dead vast gardens of maize and gazetted levels and stock them like the one civil society, policy makers and citizens is to consistently and potatoes than the shoot of the banana. So other crops as one drives along Kampala- that existed at Kyazanga. passionately continue advocating for recruitment, motivation if potatoes had a small place on the menu Masaka-Mbarara road, with no evidence Agricultural extension workers should be and retention of an efficient health workforce. A functional then, how about their peelings that are now of resurrection. The situation is no different facilitated to teach framers how to improve health system is an investment in the present and future on high demand in Galilaya? along Kampala-Mubende-Fort Portal or their produce at household levels. generations of our nation and prosperity. We should value our It should not be Uganda, a country with Kampala-Gulu roads. The MoAAF should engage farmers human resources as the most valuable resource. good climate, fertile soils and in most cases To make it worse, the Ministry of involved in cattle, piggery, to start making Investing in the citizens’ health is the greatest and most many young energetic people with muscle Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and use of grasses such as the afore mentioned lasting investment any nation can make. A healthy nation will power to till, to experience this apocalypse! Fisheries, which should have advised dry maize plants that have gone to waste steer Uganda to our Vision 2030. Let us carry on Margaret’s We may appreciate that climatic changes farmers to cut the no longer viable maize without being transformed into hay. legacy by ensuring her efforts were not in vain, until the war are globally being felt with small but and make fodder for the equally starving If we have to learn lessons from the is won. irreversibly increases in global warming. cattle and other domestic animals, drought we are experiencing in the last Rest in peace Margaret However, as a country with one of the inadvertently or otherwise kept quiet as months and look for mitigating factors, we hitherto best climate in the world including if our cows cannot eat fodder like their need to get out of slumber and act now or The writer is the national co-ordinator of the White the man made errors that are leading to counterparts in Europe which enjoy hay we shall all eat potato peelings. Ribbon Alliance Uganda