As I was resting on the flat bed in one of the smallest units in Mulago Hospital, Chiropractic Unit a retired civil servant and former career diplomat walks in painfully. He sits on one of the bench which are not that cool but looks like ones used in village meetings. He greets me as I was busy scrolling through my phone to avoid boredom. I had been at the unit for 5 hours then waiting for my turn. He wished me quick recovery and even ask me why am at “their place”. Most of them who always find me at the unit ask me the same question, their uniform reasoning is that someone of my age is not supposed to be at that facility because he has not made the “mistakes” in life they made. For the last 3 years I have spent getting treatment at the same unit it has been the same question.
I remember a lady who came and she decided to lie on the carpet, I asked her to sit on clean chair and she said sleeping on the dirty carpet is the price she is paying for not doing what she was supposed to do.
Most of the diseases that are rampant are chronic or lifestyle diseases which are mostly Non Communicable Diseases.
According World Health Organisation (WHO) Noncommunicable diseases are by far the leading cause of death in the world, representing 63% of all annual deaths. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill more than 36 million people each year. Some 80% of all NCD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Most of the non-communicable diseases are avoidable and can be prevented if there is health promotion that can make people aware of the dangers. Most people when their income status is elevated they think of changing their diet to junk foods making their bodies a breeding ground for a number of lifestyle diseases. In our society when someone’s income status changes the public also expect their bodies to change and we have ended up with obese people. We give more respect to obese people than healthy people innocently thinking that they are the health ones.
Back to my starting paragraph most people who have office jobs have ended up getting back problems as a result of the lifestyle they choose. It took me long time to understand the statement from the lady who said that she was paying the price. I was wondering which price until when I realized that most people who are in offices and have cars neglect their bodies. For example someone wake up enter the car and go to work, sits in office chair which actually are not the right chairs. After work they enter the same car go home and sit the sofa, watch TV and sleep, the cycle continues. If the car gets a mechanical problem it will be taken to the garage for service. But the same person neglects their bodies and don’t service them. In my Financial management class at the university we used to have a clear formula for pay back period (PBP), so that's how life is whatever you do you will pay back. There might not be a clear formula but there is that time
We spend a lot of money and other resources to treat lifestyle diseases than we would have spent on health education to prevent the same diseases.
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