Case Report of Non-Communicable Diseases in Uganda: Addressing Challenges with Access to Healthcare and How Community Health Workers May Be a Potential Solution

Abstract

I removed my shoes and followed Esther* as we entered her house to meet her husband, Martin*. Esther is a community health worker (CHW) for the Ministry of Health in eastern rural Uganda. Earlier that day, I and the staff members from the non-governmental organization (NGO) I was working with accompanied Esther on her home visits. Esther periodically conducts these visits in her village to teach her community about a myriad of health topics, ranging from the importance of good sanitation practices to the use of mosquito nets. As I entered, I noticed Martin sitting up on a bed in the corner of the room. I waved to him, greeting him in Luganda and sat down, realizing that he did not acknowledge me as he was speaking across the room to his wife. He held a weak smile on his face, but it was apparent that it was partially an effort to mask some of his discomfort; his left leg was markedly more swollen than his right. After a few moments, I learned, with the help of a translator, how he could no longer see or walk, secondary to his chronic and uncontrolled hypertension.