For two days, health centres in Tororo became a lifeline for thousands of people seeking medical care they might otherwise have struggled to access.
Residents travelled from across Eastern Uganda and neighboring Kenya to attend a free medical outreach that offered everything from cancer screening and dental services to eye care, HIV testing and minor surgeries.
By the time the exercise ended, more than 3,000 people had received treatment and consultations, underscoring both the demand for healthcare services and the challenges many communities still face in accessing specialized care.
The outreach was organised by Caring Hands International Ministries and Medical Missions and conducted at Mella Health Centre III and Mukuju Health Centre IV in Tororo District. Beneficiaries came from Busoga, Bugisu, Teso, Sebei, Karamoja and parts of western Kenya, reflecting the regional draw of the initiative.
For many attendees, the camp provided services that are either unavailable locally or difficult to obtain because of cost, distance or long waiting times. Health workers offered consultations, family planning services, treatment for common illnesses, cancer screening, eye examinations, dental care and surgeries, among other interventions.
Such services often require referrals to larger hospitals, a process that can be expensive and time-consuming for rural families. The turnout also revealed the scale of unmet healthcare needs in the region.
Frederick Angura, the Member of Parliament for Tororo South County, described the outreach as a timely intervention for communities that continue to struggle with access to specialized medical services.
Angura, who also represented the Kingdom of Teso at the event, said the region still experiences a worrying number of preventable deaths and expressed hope that initiatives of this nature would improve health outcomes and save lives. For beneficiaries, the impact was personal.
Harriet Ajare, a resident of Tororo, said the outreach had given many people access to treatment they had been unable to obtain for years because of financial and logistical barriers. Another beneficiary, Amoit Murther, said the camp helped address healthcare needs that had accumulated over time and appealed to organisers to return with similar programmes in the future.
The experience also provided insights into the health challenges facing communities in Eastern Uganda. Professor Robert Karyeshubura, Country Director of Caring Hands Uganda, said Village Health Teams played a critical role in mobilising residents and promoting preventive healthcare before the outreach began.
He noted that Tororo recorded fewer severe cases of anaemia, malaria and infections than some other areas where the organisation has conducted similar programmes. However, he expressed concern about the number of people living with poorly managed hypertension, a condition that often goes unnoticed until it causes serious complications such as stroke, heart disease or kidney failure.
Kryeshubura urged residents to undergo regular medical check-ups and adhere to prescribed treatment. He also criticised proposals to remove allowances for medical interns, arguing that they provide essential support in Uganda’s public health facilities.
“Medical interns are among the biggest contributors to healthcare service delivery. The facilitation they receive is manageable and should be maintained,” he said.
Health workers who volunteered during the exercise described the outreach as both challenging and rewarding. Dr Anaitwe Benon and laboratory technician Kimeza Andrew said partnerships of this kind help extend healthcare services to communities that often struggle to access specialized treatment.
The medical camp was organised in response to concerns about limited access to specialized healthcare services in parts of Eastern Uganda. Organisers had projected that up to 5,000 people would attend and encouraged residents from across the region to seek treatment.
