Dear Solomy Kataaha,
I am happy to receive your question though I signed it late in December. Better late than never any way.
There are many challenges, past, present and future is full of challenges. Joyce Fertility Support Centre Uganda is not provider of health services, it is a partner in the provision of health services. We represent consumers, we represent the community that is served with health services. We represent men and women with infertility and all other reproductive ill conditions.
The challenges here are that, initiative is very unique and finds the society unaware of the relevance of our role. For example, when you start highlighting reproductive problems, one asks are you a doctor? Because everybody looks at a patient as a receiver and the doctor as a giver. The doctors feel that you are intruding into their profession.
When you talk about infertility, for instance, everybody shies away. It is extremely difficult to accumulate a critical mass of advocates who will hold their heads and look the world straight into the face. Statistics is difficult to take as people would not like to break the silence. Intensive education, awareness and evidence based research will break the above barriers. We give it 10 years from now.
Health system: We are very surprised in that the health system find infertility as a non priority program in reproductive health. Find out from records, for those stakeholders in health that it is among the lowest ranking priorities of the World Health Organisation. It is not a public health problem, it is not identified among the AIDS/HIV causing channels. It is a personal and silent disease. This is the reason why gynecologists in Uganda channel their research to malaria in pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. This is reason why every gynecologist does not undertake intensive high technology training. The feeling is nobody will buy the service unless you take it to developed economy.
Doctors here have failed to tap the potential target group and invest in them. The issue also turns political because our social system the government, has special consideration for the world bank, policy – the IMF policy. the criteria for choosing priority interventions in health, they choose what has been categorized as CATASTROPHY. So if it is believed that infertility does not kill, how will it ever surprise malaria and HIV/AIDS. This is the biggest challenge that we have. To talk this challenge, we have to let go the world bank policy, the IMF policy. We invest in human resource, the people who are inflicted, those that have suffered and are suffering. We offer them education, expose them to evidence based facts, get their opinions and form a structure for them to group themselves. Their voices will be heard. They will take informed decisions, they will influence policy and change legislation.
This critical mass will value themselves and will demand for their rights, then the world bank and IMF policies will face the challenge as the people’s voices prevail.
Thank you for your attention and sorry for attending to you late. Dear Solomy Kataaha,
I am happy to receive your question though I signed it late in December. Better late than never any way.
There are many challenges, past, present and future is full of challenges. Joyce Fertility Support Centre Uganda is not provider of health services, it is a partner in the provision of health services. We represent consumers, we represent the community that is served with health services. We represent men and women with infertility and all other reproductive ill conditions.
The challenges here are that, initiative is very unique and finds the society unaware of the relevance of our role. For example, when you start highlighting reproductive problems, one asks are you a doctor? Because everybody looks at a patient as a receiver and the doctor as a giver. The doctors feel that you are intruding into their profession.
When you talk about infertility, for instance, everybody shies away. It is extremely difficult to accumulate a critical mass of advocates who will hold their heads and look the world straight into the face. Statistics is difficult to take as people would not like to break the silence. Intensive education, awareness and evidence based research will break the above barriers. We give it 10 years from now.
Health system: We are very surprised in that the health system find infertility as a non priority program in reproductive health. Find out from records, for those stakeholders in health that it is among the lowest ranking priorities of the World Health Organisation. It is not a public health problem, it is not identified among the AIDS/HIV causing channels. It is a personal and silent disease. This is the reason why gynecologists in Uganda channel their research to malaria in pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. This is reason why every gynecologist does not undertake intensive high technology training. The feeling is nobody will buy the service unless you take it to developed economy.
Doctors here have failed to tap the potential target group and invest in them. The issue also turns political because our social system the government, has special consideration for the world bank, policy – the IMF policy. the criteria for choosing priority interventions in health, they choose what has been categorized as CATASTROPHY. So if it is believed that infertility does not kill, how will it ever surprise malaria and HIV/AIDS. This is the biggest challenge that we have. To talk this challenge, we have to let go the world bank policy, the IMF policy. We invest in human resource, the people who are inflicted, those that have suffered and are suffering. We offer them education, expose them to evidence based facts, get their opinions and form a structure for them to group themselves. Their voices will be heard. They will take informed decisions, they will influence policy and change legislation.
This critical mass will value themselves and will demand for their rights, then the world bank and IMF policies will face the challenge as the people’s voices prevail.
Thank you for your attention and sorry for attending to you late.
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