President Yoweri Museveni has blamed the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) among Ugandans in urban areas on over eating and inactivity.
NCD include diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
Museveni made the remark on Wednesday last week at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu Municipality during the launch of a fundraising to purchase and install a Computed Tomography (CT) Scan machine at St Mary`s Hospital Lacor.
The speech was read on behalf of the president by Ernest Kizza, the State Minister for Bunyoro Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
The president said NCD’s which are claiming many lives is associated with inactivity coupled with over eating. He emphasized the need for change of lifestyles and embracing healthy diets to promote good health.
Dr Cyprian Opira the Executive Director of St Mary`s Hospital Lacor without giving figures said the hospital receives overwhelming numbers of patients with NCDs on a monthly. Dr Opira attributed the rise in NCD on lifestyle practices like smoking, alcohol abuse, unbalanced diet, and a lack of exercise.