Africa-Press – Uganda. A recently conducted research has revealed that people if sensitized well can make informed health choices, thus improving their well-being.
The research was made by Makerere University College of Health Sciences in August 2023 in six districts of Mpigi, Kayunga, Mukono, Luweero, Kampala, and Wakiso.
“55 per cent of senior two students together with their teachers who were taught the principles of informed health choices improved their critical health appraisal skills. These taught principles were seen to promote self-awareness, a key aspect in enhancing self-care,” part of the study reads.
Dr Charles Olaro, the director in charge of curative services at the Ministry of Health described self-care as “a necessary aspect in health care that helps individuals prevent diseases. The aspects include feeding, drinking water, and doing exercises among others.”
“Individuals, communities and families can take charge of their health in terms of health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis and cure. Self-care is part of health systems strengthening because when individuals prevent diseases, it becomes cheaper and also reduces our burden,” he said on Friday during the commemoration of National self-care day in Dokolo District.
The celebrations were marked by raising awareness about different self-care interventions such as HIV self-testing, pregnancy testing, family planning self-injection, nutrition and other self-care activities.
According to the senior programs coordinator at the Center for Health and Human Rights (CEHURD), Ms Annah Kukundakwe, there is a need to institutionalize self-care.
“We need to strengthen our legal and policy frameworks to recognise self-care as a key health intervention. We also need locally documented evidence on some of the best practices coming up in self-care as well as lessons and challenges from other countries where we can cross-learn and work towards addressing them,” she said.
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