URN.Many parts of Karamoja are food insecure due to a combination of factors including the renewed cattle rustling and prolonged drought.
The current insecurity in Karamoja has hit hard on Tuberculosis patients as several shun taking drugs over lack of food.
Many parts of Karamoja are food insecure due to a combination of factors including the renewed cattle rustling and prolonged drought.
Dr. James Lemukol, the District Health Officer Napak said many patients are finding it hard to adhere to their medication and the majority have abandoned their drugs complaining of lack of food.
Lemukol said that TB patients face the double burden of reduced income because they are often too sick to work and many have no caretakers.
Zakary Loduk, one of the TB patients, says that he gets side effects when he takes the drugs on an empty stomach.
Isaac Lomuria the LCI Chairperson of Iriiri village in Iriiri sub county blamed the drought on the poor harvest of last year that has led to hiked prices of foodstuffs. Lomuria says that a tin of maize equivalent to 2kgs which used to be sold at 3,000 Shillings now costs 5,000 Shillings.
He adds that the current situation has forced many patients to feed on residues from a local brew known as Kwete.
Faith Nakut, the Napak Woman MP, acknowledged that recently the Office of the Prime Minister dispatched food which they distributed to the communities, but it was inadequate and could not sustain up to the period of harvest.
“Government needs to send more food for these people, it’s bad for Uganda to be called the pearl of Africa when other parts of the country are starving’’ she said.
Napak District records more than 500 cases of TB annually and 26 percent of these patients are infected with HIV AIDs which makes them more vulnerable.
