The Minister for the Presidency, Milly Babalanda, has urged residents of Busoga to seek medical attention from qualified health professionals instead of relying on self-medication, warning that delays in treatment can put lives at risk.
Babalanda made the call while addressing mourners during the send-off ceremony of her aunt, Nabirye Tophirista Abuze, from Kibundaire Village, Namagera Parish, Butagaya Sub-county in Jinja District.
The minister said early diagnosis and timely medical intervention were essential in improving treatment outcomes, urging families to prioritise their health by visiting recognised health facilities whenever they experienced medical problems.
“Life is precious, and we must never take it for granted,” Babalanda said, adding that leaders had a responsibility to promote public health and ensure citizens remained healthy enough to contribute to national development.
She also called on Ugandans to maintain vigilance against HIV/AIDS, which she described as a continuing public health concern requiring collective action.
Babalanda emphasised the need for awareness, prevention, regular testing and access to appropriate treatment and care. She commended President Yoweri Museveni for his leadership in Uganda’s efforts to combat the epidemic and urged citizens to sustain the fight towards ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.
Beyond health matters, the minister encouraged Busoga residents to take advantage of government wealth-creation programmes aimed at improving household incomes, creating employment and reducing poverty.
She highlighted the Youth Livelihood Programme, Emyooga, the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the Four-Acre Model as initiatives that households could use to strengthen their economic circumstances.
Babalanda also encouraged families to establish small-scale enterprises such as poultry keeping, vegetable growing and pig farming to diversify income sources, improve food security and support household livelihoods.
However, she cautioned residents against excessive subdivision of family land, saying it could leave households with insufficient acreage for productive and sustainable farming.
Under the Four-Acre Model, she explained, farmers can allocate land to long-term cash crops such as coffee or cocoa, fruit trees, food crops and pasture for zero-grazing and dairy farming.
She urged residents to combine government support with discipline and productive investment to achieve lasting improvements in household welfare.
During the ceremony, Babalanda also conveyed condolences from President Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, the Office of the President's Permanent Secretary, Yunus Kakande, and staff of the institution.
She thanked relatives, friends and supporters who stood with the family during the period of mourning, asking God to grant the deceased eternal rest and comfort those she had left behind.