Mbarara, Uganda: A visit to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), the Physiotherapy division stood out as a bustling unit with a high volume of patients. Established in the 1980s by the late Godwin Kasaija Apuli, this unit has seen exponential growth, with 30 to 50 patients attending daily and numerous success stories recorded.
To commemorate World Physiotherapy Day, the Hospital Administration and Physiotherapy Division held a mini-event attended by physiotherapy staff, students, and Halson Kagure, the Hospital Public Relations Officer who represented the administration.
Ms. Night Atwongyeire, Senior Physiotherapist, highlighted the high demand for physiotherapy services, catering to both inpatients and outpatients.
A notable success story is 65-year-old Lubega Kakooza, a survivor of bathroom fall. Six months ago, Kakooza, a resident of Biharwe division, Mbarara leafy suburb, was brought to the hospital in a helpless state and was recommended for physiotherapy. Despite initial reluctance, his family enrolled him, and he has now regained mobility, even driving himself.
Atwongyeire explained that physiotherapy treats conditions unresponsive to medication or complements other treatments, yielding results dependent on condition severity and duration. Patients range from children to fistula patients, stroke patients, and accident survivors.
However, delayed physiotherapy can hinder recovery, and some patients arrive with complications from traditional bonesetters, potentially prolonging recovery or costing lives.
She states that time and again, they have seen patients who have come from traditional bonesetters with poorly managed bones, exposing others to long recovery times or developing complications.
Many times, Dr. Deus Twesigye, Acting Director, has urged city authorities to regulate traditional bone setters who deceive patients into deserting hospitals.
Halson Kagure, Public Relations Officer, says the administration has intensified patients’ engagements and routine sensitizations to empower the public with the right information.
Kagure also mentioned the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act, 2019, which the government put in place to control and regulate the practice of traditional and complementary medicine adding that those with traditional herbal knowledge to work closely with government-established research institutions like Mbarara University to improve their concoctions with research.
“It is very sad, when you go to the surgical ward you find some patients who have been evacuated from these people with totally defected limbs”, Kagure stated. “The funny bit is that these are patients who were once here by were deceived by some unruly traditional bone setters, and they went to their makeshifts, and come back after the situation got from better to worse.
Whereas the World Physiotherapy day is celebrated every September 8, this year’s celebrations were held in Gulu district with different activities aimed at promoting mobility among the aging.
This year’s theme focuses on healthy aging, preventing falls, and frailty, highlighting physiotherapy’s role in creating awareness. A growing demand for physiotherapy services at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital underscores the importance of integrating physiotherapy into comprehensive patient care
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
