By Caroline Nassuuna
Communications Officer
ICPAU
The growing burden of lifestyle diseases in Uganda and globally has given public sector players a wake-up call.
Addressing participants on lifestyle diseases at the 3rd Public Finance Management (PFM) conference, Dr John Omagino - Executive Director, Uganda Heart Institute, described ailments ranging from obesity, hypertension, and diabetes to stroke, cancer, and depression as a silent epidemic driven mainly by modern habits and preventable choices.
“We are experiencing a shift in disease burden, from infectious to non-communicable diseases, driven by urbanisation, poor diet, inactivity, and substance abuse. What makes this crisis more painful is that most of these diseases are preventable,” Dr Omagino said.
Citing alarming global statistics, Dr Omagino revealed that over 1 in 8 people globally are living with obesity, 1.28 billion adults have hypertension, with two-thirds in low and middle-income countries. He added that 830 million people are affected by diabetes, 1.19 million lives are lost annually to road traffic accidents, whereas depression now affects 5% of adults worldwide, with rising suicide rates.
In Uganda, the impact is already visible in congested hospitals and rising costs of chronic disease care. He called for urgent action to curb this trend, warning that the health system may not cope if the current trajectory continues.
Dr Omagino outlined the major causes of lifestyle diseases, including poor diets high in sugar, fat, and processed foods, physical inactivity, worsened by increased use of technology and motor vehicles, tobacco and alcohol use, which continue to claim millions of lives. Not to forget, stress and lack of sleep are now linked to multiple health complications.
“People are eating more but moving less. We have replaced nutritious traditional diets with fast foods, and our bodies are paying the price,” said Dr Omangino.
Backed by both global research and local experience, Dr Omagino emphasised that lifestyle diseases can be tackled through simple, cost-effective interventions such as eating balanced diets with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, avoiding smoking and alcohol, engaging in physical activity, managing stress and prioritising quality sleep, regular medical check-ups for early detection and management of these diseases.
Dr Omagino also urged policymakers to step up, noting that health promotion is not just an individual responsibility but a policy issue.
He cited successful global models from the United Kingdom, South Korea, Mauritius, and Finland where public health policies and food industry reform led to measurable reductions in salt, cholesterol, and other risk factors.
He challenged Ugandans to rethink their daily habits and called on accountants, public servants, and policymakers to lead by example.
“The choices we make every day are either killing us slowly or giving us a chance to live longer, healthier lives. The time to act is now,” warned Dr Omagino.
Organised by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU), the 3rd PFM conference was held from 23 - 25 April 2025, at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, and online.
The theme was Public Finance Management Systems for Sustainable Service Delivery.
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