Residents of Gulu City have asked Parliament to prioritise the completion of the regional cancer centre in the new financial year describing the rising cases of cancer patients in the region as distressing.
According to the Laroo-Pece Member of Parliament, Hon. Charles Onen more than 10,000 cancer patients were registered at the Gulu cancer centre in 2023.
“A medical report from Uganda Cancer Institute shows that last year, Gulu cancer centre alone registered 10,898 cancer cases with many women suffering from breast cancer, cervical cancer and so many men with prostate cancer,” said Onen.
The legislator said the community is disturbed by reports indicating that majority of the cases are children below 15 years followed by women who suffer from breast cancer.
Onen made this call at the launch of a medical camp at Pece Primary School in Gulu City presided over by the Speaker, Anita Among on Tuesday, 27 August 2024.
The five-day medical camp is organised as part of Parliament’s corporate social responsibility during the regional sittings in Gulu City from 28 to30 August 2024.
Some of the residents who turned up for the medical camp
According to Onen, the funds required are meant to complete construction of the two remaining phases of the centre and for the purchase of 15 acres of land for expansion.
Gulu City Mayor, Alfred Okwonga advocated for the city’s pressing needs of for infrastructural development citing Kaunda Grounds which he commended Parliament’s support in fencing it.
“For Gulu city, we need Kaunda grounds to be developed to a standard park to be able to host any event which you are already working on. Pece Stadium should be developed to a modern stadium. We need an industrial park and museum all which can facilitate social economic in the Northern Region,” said Okwonga.
He also commended Among for ‘making history’ as the author of regional Parliament sittings, saying those who are fighting the sittings are fighting people.
“This is your legacy in your leadership because the sitting is going to empower the debate on local issues. As MPs come on the ground, they will see the situation and discuss based on facts,” said Okwonga.
Speaker Among on her part pledged to deploy a similar strategy used in mobilising funds for the Nsambya Cancer Centre to complete the centre in Gulu.
“We have been supporting Nsambya Cancer Centre, we are going to support you. When we hold regional sittings, we leave an impact in the area,” said Among.
She added, “we have been able to build modern toilets at Pece Primary School courtesy of regional sittings and we are going to put a solar pump so that the school does not have to pay for electricity to pump water”.
Parliament will for the five days support the delivery of curative and preventive health services through the medical camp at Pece Primary School.
These services include, blood donation, HIV testing and counselling, screening for Hepatitis B and treatment of other regular illnesses.