The General Overseer of Deliverance Church Uganda (DCU), Pastor Edward Kiwanuka has called upon the Church in Uganda to rise up and contribute to the growth and development of the health sector in the country.
Addressing the media on Wednesday ahead of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Ministry, Pastor Kiwanuka said that it is time for the church in Uganda to rise to its rightful role of subduing the earth by providing solutions that better the lives of people both spiritually and physically.
The country’s health sector is currently in want with challenges of understaffing and lack the relevant logistics in health facilities.
Just a week ago, medical doctors suspended a three week long strike and days ago, nurses along with midwives had threatened to also go on strike due to poor working conditions.
“As early as 1988, Deliverance Church Uganda, saw the need for intervention into the health sector and those days, just like today, medicine was scarce, medical staff in the government hospitals were as well living a disgruntled life,” Pastor Kiwanuka said.
“We came up with an idea of setting up a health unit basically to offer good medical services to the nation and also to treat people humanely,” he told the press on Wednesday.
Kiwanuka said that so far, the Deliverance Church Ministry has started four health units with an aim of providing medical treatment and diagnosis.
Kiwanuka noted that in that line, the Ministry intends to raise the status of one of its health units in Ndeeba to a hospital status to serve more Ugandans.
“In this spirit, J.O.Y Medical Centre in Ndeeba currently a Health Centre IV is going to be converted into a hospital, funds permitting; the project is expected to cost a total of Shs 4.5 billion which is to be collected from the different donations from the different well-wishers towards the cause of improving health in the country.”
In marking the golden jubilee anniversary, the organizing committee Chairperson, Peter Oguru said that the Ministry shall hold a three days celebrations coupled with thanks giving and celebrating the lives of the founder members of the Ministry most of whom are still living.
“We are going to have a three days convocation at our main centre in Nsambya where we shall gather to carry out a number of activities beginning on Friday December 8 with a gospel conference followed by a Family Day celebration on December 9 and a Vision day on Sunday 10 a day that shall be used to cast a vision for the next 50 years,” Oguru said.