At least 111 patients diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) have abandoned treatment at Kitgum General Hospital, raising concerns among health workers.
Thomas Ojok, the Senior Hospital Administrator of Kitgum General Hospital, disclosed this while addressing the media on the progress of the ADUNU project at the facility.
Ojok said since 2023, Kitgum General Hospital under the ADUNU project has screened 40,184 people for Rheumatic Heart Disease in Kitgum District. Out of those screened, 641 were confirmed positive, and 20 have since died, and 525 Active.
According to him, out of the 641 confirmed cases, 111 patients are currently not reporting for treatment, leaving 525 active on treatment.
He reveals that the hospital has tried to trace the missing patients but without fruitful results and calls upon the patients to return for treatment for the betterment of their lives.
Ojok appeals to families and local leaders to help mobilize the missing patients to return to the hospital.
The ADUNU Program is an evidence-informed package of integrated health system interventions built around decades of research on the prevention and treatment of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD).
The Program is being administered by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in partnership with the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI).
Evelyn Ayaa, the Associate Coordinator of the ADUNU project under the Uganda Heart Institute, reveals that 72 government health workers from lower health facilities have been trained under the project to sustain the program once the ADUNU project comes to an end.
By Denis Opoka
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