Dr. Anna Rose Ademun Okurut, who is in-charge of Animal Health says that many Veterinary officers tend to work like witch doctors rather than professionals by treating animals without proper investigations of the causes of diseases in animals and environment where they live.
A Commissioner in the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisherieshas revealed that most veterinary
officers in Uganda are administering treatment without proper diagnosis of animal diseases.
Dr. Anna Rose Ademun Okurut, who is in-charge of Animal Health says
that many Veterinary officers tend to work like witch doctors rather than
professionals by treating animals without proper investigations of the causes
of diseases in animals and environment where they live.
Ademun adds that lack of proper investigations by veterinary
officers is partly the reason why infectious diseases have now crossed from animals to
human beings.
She says that Ministry of Agriculture has tried
to address some gaps including equipping the 13 regional laboratories
to enable veterinary officers conduct proper diagnosis to control animal
diseases but these are not yet enough.
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Martha Mukisa, the Animal Husbandry Officer for Kalungu
district admitted the challenge saying that it’s difficult for them to conduct proper diagnosis on animals
over long distances from farmers to regional laboratories.
Mukisa adds that even when samples are
taken, they need close to three months to receive results and in the process the farmers resort
to conduct their own treatment which leads animals to develop resistance to drugs.
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Luganda
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Dr. Aloysious Lumbuye, the Luwero District Veterinary
Officer says that apart from lack of tools and skills to collect samples, the veterinary
officers also lack transport to reach to farmers.
Lumbuye
says that Luwero district has no government laboratory and they need to
transfer samples to the regional laboratory in Nakaseke district.
Antonio Querido, the Country Representative of Food and Agriculture
Organization Uganda says that due to poor surveillance, 75% human
diseases originate
from animals across the globe and Uganda is now the hot spot for many of
these diseases.
Querido adds that as a result, FAO Uganda and Ministry of
Agriculture have embarked on training 20 veterinary officers from districts to
strengthen their ability to predict, prepare, respond critical
health threats affecting animals.
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Atleast 20 Veterinary officers from different districts will
spend a month at Luwero Diocese Guest House in Luwero where they will be
trained in applied veterinary epidemiology.
