Can Uganda survive 2nd wave of Covid-19 with expected civil unrest?

By James William Mugeni

USA – 4 November 2020: COLONEL Shaban BANTARIZA, REST IN PEACE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ILLUSTROUS LIFE. 

Our corrupt system seems to have given Colonel Shaban Bantariza Covid-19 positive result for mileage. 

To use Covid-19 for political gains is risking the lives of Ugandans. The UPDF that was praised at the beginning of Covid-19 with stunts in Mulago eventually gets Bantariza dying a destitute; running between hospitals, what a shame! 

Losing a high ranking official of that level and allowing him to face the difficulties ordinary Ugandans go through to access Covid-19 task force is indeed a shame. 

Mbuya military hospital, Victoria Medical Center and finally Mulago National Referral Hospital mean the recently assembled UPDF task force is a fiasco. 

The UPDF that took over management of Covid-19 when money was being shared was only a Covid-19 money packaged team. I am disappointed as a medical clinical officer watching medical standards go to the dogs. 

In medicine, we talk about 4Ds for a disease process. The 4Ds are: Disease, Disability, Destitution and Death. Usually these Ds are common with poor conditions or people.

At disease level, we all become aware of something unusual that we may complain about to our normal activities and perhaps tell a friend who tells us to go and seek help.

At disability, we are either down; failed to do our normal activities, sought medical help or perhaps got treated and continued with our treatment to healing.

At destitution, here we are desperate. Colonel was first admitted in Mbuya military hospital and then transferred to Victoria hospital from Victoria to Mulago hospital. At his rank, his admission should have been definite besides accessing the best that his illustrious career prepared for him.

This is certainly where and why we have been flying out of Uganda even for fatigue related complaints. We are now locked up with peasants.

Colonel Bantariza died a destitute and by destitution I am talking of the 4Ds in medicine that characterize illness.

We have entered the second wave of Covid-19 with a desolate population, a population that political lies coupled with medical deceit has disoriented, a population thrown into destitution by lock down, a population that has lost trust in established institutions; the country needs witty people to survive the avalanche of the second Covid-19. 

Our gun-reasoning brains should take lessons as we are now faced with conditions that are going to kill them one by one and perhaps dying in the hands of poorly facilitated health workers in poor health facilities. 

Lifestyle diseases slowly digging through Ugandans cannot be ignored.

Ten (10) common elderly health issues are now part of the UPDF but proper health facilities will work best, not guns.

 All these fighters having what Covid-19 nomenclature calls preexisting conditions can have devastating effects on them.

Chronic health conditions. According to the National Council on Aging, about 92 percent of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77 percent have at least two: Cognitive health, mental health, physical injury, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Others are malnutrition, oral health, substance abuse, renal diseases, liver and related conditions including heart diseases.

To our senior army officers, you are decorated armed men, but it is in the arms of unarmed civilians where you will succumb to simple death and perhaps preventable death. 

You are now profiled as enemies of the people, your behavior has the population asking for God to save them from you.

To most of you bush war heroes, your current threat is that the young men want to be part of leadership which you so cherish, it is lifestyle diseases beckoning. 

Colonel’s death is a classic example of him being a media personnel. I remember throwing wild comments at him. I told him he was very unhealthy to threaten anyone.

Whereas each of us has a personal responsibility and this being an election period, the electoral commission has allowed an election to take place.

You better facilitate the SOPS and appreciate that even us the electorate are risking our lives to have leadership put in place. 

Respect our risk taking to listen to the candidates. Stop stampeding into the populations because you are worse than the risks population are taking.

And to the chairman electoral commission of Uganda, your role is to organize a free and fair election. 

You are totally biased and your ineptness is complicating the Covid-19 situation in Uganda. You are very responsible for the actions of the police.

The author is a medical clinical officer/certified public manager
Email: wmungadi@gmail.com
Phone: +1 515-346-5317