7 THINGS NO DOCTOR WILL DARE TELL YOU ABOUT WHY YOUR PARTICULARS ARE WRITTEN ON A MEDICAL FORM( # 4 & 7 WILL BLOW YOUR MIND)

1. Name: reveals who you are and identifies you from other clients or patients
2. Age: exposes your age bracket where you belong and the possible condition you may be suffering from and predicts investigations and management you will receive.
3. Sex: It identifies you further and caters for gender related conditions/ diseases to be thought about, investigated and treated.
4. Tribe: Your tribe may give a tip to the diagnosis of your long illness that has evaded medical practitioners for a long time.
   Shocking research according to cancer registry both at Mulago National referral hospital and Mbarara regional referral hospital cancer department reveals of the ” high stomach cancer region” of Ankole and Kigezi areas in Uganda.
   When you are a munyankole or mukiga from these areas and you present with a long history of having ” peptic ulcers”, you will need to be investigated fully to exclude cancer of the stomach and be helped before it gets worse.
   The Bamba and Batuku tribes in Uganda have a high prevalence of sickle cell anaemia.
   The Bahima of Ankole were in the past known( thanks their lifestyle has changed of late) to have bossing heads( prominent foreheads) and expanded maxillary areas deforming their teeth anatomy due to chronic anaemia as a result of taking milk exclusively without eating other high iron foods like millet.
   The Baganda women are known to have contracted pelvis ( small pelvis) causing natural childbirth difficult and hence many caesarian sections are done in central region than any other part in Uganda. No wonder they are man women doctor specialists in central region!
   Some heart condition like Endomyocardial fibros( EMF) is more prevalent in Uganda natives of Rwandese origin.
5. Religion: Helpful to you the patient to avoid hard and embarrasing questions when investigating conditions like Liver diseases in a Moslem; questions like how much alcohol do you drink a day may not arise.
   In handling the Jehova witness faith, earlier blood building related drugs are thought in an anaemic faithful other than thinking of giving blood transfusions which is against their faith.
6. Address/ place of aboard: this helps the patient in getting cheaper and pocket – friendly investigations in cases of skin conditions like scabies, ring worms, intestinal worms, typhoid fevers and recurrent malaria fevers which are more prevalent in congested slummy places in go-down town areas.
7. Occupation: this helps in the troubled and perplexed patient by way of considering the work he/she does. i.e occupational hazard like conditions are easliy investigated and diagnosed and prompt treatment is given without delay.
   Examples: a taxi or long distance truck driver’s complaint of burning urine would be easily fixed by checking out STDs.
   A veterinary health worker’s fever not responding to antimalarial drugs would easily and cheaply be fixed when diseases like Brucellosis, Anthrax, and bovine Tuberculosis are investigated and treated.

A farmer presenting with abdominal pains for a long time; diseases like intestinal worms, typhoid fever, malaria fever, hernia( a.k.a aniya/ haniya) due to constant digging and heavy object lifting are some that come quickly in the attending doctor’s mind and action taken at the earlier convinience to the farmer.

Let’s know if you want more information on this subject because we cannot cover everything here. You can phone us using 0772367793/ 0708470471 or by emailing us on amosbusingye05@gmail.com or by visiting our Facebook page @Warugaba Amos medical center.