Africa-Press – Uganda. The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has received its first five cardio life defibrillators and accessories from the Association of Chattered Certified Accountants (ACCA) following a successful fundraising drive in memory of the Late Beatrice Isagayite, the nation’s Country Head of ACCA.
“Instead of the defibrillator machines, we would just give chest compressions although the method is not as effective as the machines,” UCI anaesthesiologist Patience Atumanya said of the facility’s first any such machines.
The machines worth over Shs90m were acquired using funds obtained in a July 2020 to May 2021 campaign to collect money for treating Ms Isagayite who succumbed to cancer in 2021 before the money was used for its purpose.
Atumanya said the machines are a “huge relief in their adrenaline filled environment especially when dealing with cancer patients whose bodies are not necessarily strong.”
“We will give them to the theatre, HTU and wards will also have one. The machines can resuscitate both adults and young. We wish the Isagayite’s name lives through the machines to help other cancer patients,” she said.
“Coordinated by about 12 people, the drive collectively gathered just over Shs146m from about 63 individuals and 13 companies,” Charlotte Kukunda, one of the coordinators said.
According to Ms Kukunda, Isagayite had before her death decried “hardness of the chairs in UCI’s patient waiting area.”
“She wished we could do something about them because the pain a cancer patient comes with is enough and needn’t endure any more as they wait for treatment or a diagnosis….I believe this is what we needed to respond to,” she said.
‘15 breast cancers weekly’
With approval from the deceased’s family and the contributors, ACCA sought a cause that would resonate with the disease that claimed the life of their beloved.
“We acknowledge the fact that there are challenges with access to treatment and we worked closely with the Uganda Cancer Institute to identify the much needed equipmen,” said Joyce Tamale, CEO and Co-Founder Capital Solutions.
The UCI deputy Executive Director Ms Victoria Walusansa revealed that the facility gets up to 15 women with breast cancer every week, noting that those are the ones that afford transport to get there for checkup.
“Parents should take their girl children above eight years for vaccination against cervical cancer which is harmless regarding one’s reproduction ability,” she urged.
About Isagayite
Ms Beatrice Isagayite joined ACCA Uganda office in November 2012 as the Country Manager, a role she held until 2021 before she died. Under Isagayite’s stewardship, the number of students, affiliates, members and approved employers grew to 2,733; 400; 1,578 and 44 respectively.
Cancer
Cancer is a chronic disease in which body cells grow abnormally (proliferate) and spread out of control to other parts of body.
In Uganda Cancer is a growing health problem with numbers rising daily. New cancer cases shot above 34, 008 in 2021 alone with up to 22,000 new deaths.
Breast cancer infections account for about 7.8% of the above while common cancers in Uganda are Cervical Cancer and prostate cancer among others.
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