Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Urges Men to Prioritize Regular Health Checkups

Health Minister also Lira City Woman Member of Parliament, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, has called upon men to prioritize regular health checkups, emphasizing that many tend to neglect their well-being.

She made this appeal while commissioning a state-of-the-art satellite laboratory at Lira Regional Referral Hospital in Lira City on Friday 14^th May 2025.

The facility, constructed under the COVID-19 Response and Emergency Project with funding from the World Bank, cost UGX 4.5 billion. This initiative by the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Health, aims to bring essential healthcare services closer to the local community.

During the commissioning, Dr. Aceng highlighted the importance of the facility, particularly for men above 40 years of age.

“…To the men. One of the tests in this new laboratory is for monitoring whether men are developing cancer of the prostate. What we do is called Prostatic Surface Antigen. My humble appeal is to all men above 40 to take advantage of these services that are now available here and check routinely as you will be guided by the hospital health workers…” Dr. Aceng urged.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine, reinforced the significance of the new facility in enhancing healthcare services.

She encouraged academicians to use the laboratory for research and training while calling on health workers to adopt a more positive attitude toward their duties.

“…We are calling upon the people of Lira University to work closely with us. We are calling upon the people of Kampala to work closely with us. We are calling upon the people of Nairobi to work closely with us….. We want you to not just go to traditional healers, to traditional birth attendants, wherever, whatever….” Dr. Atwine stated.

She further emphasized the importance of trusting health workers and accessing professional medical services to improve healthcare outcomes.

AD

The new laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge diagnostic technology, enabling specialized tests such as cancer screening, hematology, microbiology, and emergency disease diagnosis. This development is expected to significantly reduce travel costs for patients who previously had to seek such services in Kampala.

The acting hospital director, Dr. Andrew Odur, lauded the new facility as a transformative development for the health sector. However, he noted that there is still a need for more medical specialists to maximize the facility’s potential.

“…At the moment, we are still around 500, so you see we are not even halfway to reaching the 1,200 needed health workers. This is a new structure that will take time to reach full capacity, but we are making gradual plans to increase our workforce as resources become available. This applies to specialist levels, nursing, midwifery, clinical officers, and even support staff. Human resource availability is crucial to realizing the facility’s full potential,” Dr. Odur stated.

With the newly commissioned facility, Lira Regional Referral Hospital is now equipped to conduct advanced tests, including Complete Blood Count (CBC) to detect infections, anemia, and other blood disorders. The laboratory is also capable of performing organ function tests to assess the health of the liver, kidneys, heart, and reproductive organs.

ENDS