By Our Reporters
On Thursday, a powerful delegation of top National Medical Stores (NMS) officials-both board and management members-raided Akoyo, a little quiet village hosting the Nodding Disease Treatment Center in Odek Sub County Omollo district. They were here for an outreach activity which saw them hand over basic supplies to Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah who is also the area MP. It’s one of the many Northern Uganda districts whose children have for years suffered the blunt of the Nodding Syndrome as the rest of the country looked the other way. Some local community leaders feel betrayed that there was denial of the magnitude of the problem at the national level mostly in Kampala where leaders sit and make decision regarding the distribution of the national cake. Oulanyah, who was at hand to receive and host the NMS delegation, thanked General Manager Moses Kamabare for his sensitivity towards the region’s affected children whose plight he said until recently wasn’t adequately appreciated by the rest of the country. Oulanyah said by delivering the stuff they did, the NMS bosses hadn’t only reached out to the affected children but to him as a brother. He referred to biblical scriptures where Jesus said the good people do for their neighbor amounts to doing something good for Him. But what did the NMS delegation bring? They delivered many things but the most important was the unveiling of REPLENISH ultra-advanced, a unique food supplement both Kamabare and board chairman Dr. J Musinguzi explained has unique ingredients that will diminish micro-nutrients deficiency among the affected children and thereby boost their immunity. Dr. Musinguzi explained that the food supplement (to be supplied by Jinja-based DOCTOR CHOICE pharmaceuticals as contracted by NMS) has both nutritional and medicine value which the children badly need. He added their research had proved the origin of the nodding syndrome had a lot to do with inability by the affected children’s families to feed them properly on mostly nutritious foods. “We have a powerful team on our board and working with other partners these are helping us to determine the most appropriate intervention to reverse this challenge facing these children,” Musinguzi said adding that NMS was ready to help the Omollo community to resist and overcome all the causes of “chronic nutrition” which resulted into the nodding problem in the first place. “We are sure this intervention by Dr. Choice [as contracted by NMS] is going to be effective and efficient.” Oulanyah, who visited NMS Entebbe headquarters recently, said because of the efficiency and responsiveness he has seen so far, he will always be prepared to use the leverage at his disposal as Deputy Speaker to ensure Parliament as an institution always supports them to serve the Ugandan public even better. Medard Bitekyerezo, who as NDA BoD chairman sits on the NMS board, caused laughter when he vowed to fight and declare war on whoever will dare stand against Oulanyah in the 2021 elections. “I was with him in the 9th Parliament and we worked closely because I was chairing the committee on health and I can confirm this man is a political heavyweight. Omollo still needs him in Kampala just like the rest of the country still needs him,” Bitekyerezo said. Oulanyah singled out NMS board member Christine Ondoa and thanked her recalling how she showed a lot of concern when the Nodding Syndrome first manifested at a time she was the Minister of Health. See more in photos taken at the event!
