BY F MALE: Pilgrims at at the Catholic Shrine at Namugongo have complained of stomach Disorders and food poisoning red eyes among other issues.
Dr. Joseph Mubiru from Mulago leading the team providing health services at the Catholic Shrine highlighted that they have so far attended to over 160 pilgrims who had issues of food poisoning, stomach disorders, red eyes, high blood pressures among others.
He also mentioned that over 30 pilgrims have collapsed and they managed to stabilize and then transferred to for further address.
There are a number of health service providers at the Catholic shrine but all the pilgrims that collapse are rushed to Mulago health unit for management.
Kira municipality issued health guide lines where every food vendor selling food and beverages is mandated to a health checkup to manage the health of the pilgrims. Despite the big numbers of the pilgrims Dr. Mubiru said that they have enough manpower, medications and other consumables provided by the National Medical stores to manage the situation.
According to URN observations scouts and xaverians rescue teams have been seen carrying several pilgrims on stretchers who have collapsed from different points of the Catholic shrine and rushed health tents for help. It has also been observed that the pilgrims numbers have over whelmed the number of toilets available. This has compromised the hygean of the toilets puting pilgrims mostly women at a risk of contracting diseases such as urinary tract infections (UTI).