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Amos Tayebwa
Mbarara
Parents and stakeholders in Nbarara District are worried because girl students in primary schools are prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs) due to poor sanitation conditions in local schools in Nbarara District.
Leaders and officials in charge of health issues in Nbarara region have been accused of negligence and playing cheap politics on public health service issues.
A few weeks ago, an outbreak of UTI was detected among girl students of Akalungu Primary School in Rubindi town council of Kashari North in Nbarara District, with about 33 girl students showing symptoms associated with the infection.
The concern was raised by Fred Mwesigye Rwamuhigi, a concerned citizen, after learning about the crisis at the school which has over 400 students.
During a stakeholder engagement and inspection held recently in Akalungu, chaired by the Ministry of Health’s Chief Environmental Health Officer, Vallence Uragiwenimana, and district officials, Mwesigye reported and mentioned how he came to know about the outbreak of UTI-related cases in the school.
He reported that after getting this information, as a stakeholder in the community, he visited the school and collected data from some girls. He claimed that he confirmed this information from the school’s subway.
Mwesije, speaking at a meeting attended by stakeholders and officials from the Ministry of Health and district health officers, including assistants from the Ministry of Health, said upon confirmation of the outbreak in the school, he reported the matter to the relevant authorities in Nbarara district, particularly the Ministry of Health office.
However, he claimed that his calls for better sanitation were ignored, undermined and frustrated by district leaders and officials who dismissed the report as vague and propaganda.
He further stated at the meeting that when the district leadership refused to respond to the matter, he contacted some parents of the children and found that their children showed symptoms and three of the 33 girls were taken to a health care center in Rubindi and it was confirmed that they all had urinary tract infection.
He further noted that when the school district undermined his idea, he immediately submitted a 13-page report to the Ministry of Education and Sports, calling for urgent government intervention and support to address the health issues associated with poor sanitation caused by the collapse/collapse of toilet facilities at Akalulungu Primary School.
The Ministry of Education has forwarded the letter to the Ministry of Health for action.
In his report, he copied the relevant offices but so far no action has been taken by the district on the matter and the Ministry of Health recently convened a stakeholders’ meeting to respond.
During the meeting, Mwesigye accused district leaders and officials of tarnishing his reputation, saying he took the girls for medical check-ups in order to sleep with them.
He claimed that the statement was made by LC5 councillor and chairperson of the Social Services Committee, Agnes Natamba, who represents workers in Nbarara district, at a meeting in the district where the school is located.
Mwesigye revealed that he even filed a lawsuit against Natamba, accusing him of intentionally tarnishing his reputation.
He also accused district health officials of undermining and discrediting his report which contained values to address the infection outbreak at the Akalungu factory.
He also accused LC5 Zone Chairman Didas Tabaro of spreading bad news to the community, saying the public should not pay attention to Mwesigye because he is just a propagandist trying to destroy the school.
Mwesigye told the district leadership that they should stop political practices that undermine community services and development.
“I am not here to play cheap politics, like I see some leaders in Mbarara doing. I have already identified the disease and the girls with symptoms are there.
I suggested to the district that they should come and test the girls before the break so that we could build toilets faster and those who were infected could recover before they came back, but the district did not do that.
“I had hoped that the district would give me a letter of recommendation to allow me to lobby for resources to build toilets for this school. I told them to write a report on the sanitation situation in the entire district so that we can lobby for support from the Ministry of Health and other organizations, but nothing has been done so far, they are just working against me as Mwesigye.
“My solution is only one: I must fight for Akarungu until it succeeds. I still insist that girls from Akarungu P/S get tested,” said Mwesigye.
At a recent meeting, Mwesigye donated sanitary napkins for girls, 145 antibacterial washes and reading materials on health guidance, among other items.
The chief environmental health officer of the Ministry of Health, Urakiwenimana, disclosed that during the inspection, the inspection team found that the Akalungu factory had major problems in terms of hygiene and sanitation.
He said the district and government needed to do a lot to save students and staff after it was discovered that there were no separate pit toilets for teachers, meaning teachers were sharing with students, which was not ideal.
“I urge the district and the management of Akarungu P/S to sit down together because we have agreed to put these things into action, especially the makeshift classrooms and toilets which can lead to different infections like urinary tract infections and sand fleas especially in these ramshackle buildings. Let the district start a fundraiser to ensure that they get some resources to address the challenges facing this school,” Uragewenimana said.
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