Former personal doctor, Besigye claims Museveni has Hypochondria, prone to overtreatment

Reacting to the President’s recently confirmed Covid19 infection, Dr Besigye described the diagnosis as “inevitable” given the contagious nature of the virus.

“I told you before that this is the nature of Covid19; I told you that every Ugandan will contract it in one way or the other, no matter how careful you are. So, if he (Museveni) has been keeping it at bay, now he has got it," he said.

Dr Besigye, while speaking Saturday, June 10 on the Interface Program where he makes weekly appearances, also commented (in a manner that might be considered uncharacteristic of medical practitioners), on the President’s medical history.

He said President Museveni, for whom he worked as his personal doctor through the entire 5-year NRA bush war of the 1980s and the early stages of his presidency, has an illness anxiety disorder that drives him to take extreme precautionary measures to keep himself free of illnesses.

This, according to Besigye, sometimes results in the president over-treating some of his illness.

“I have yet to see a person with such illness anxiety and one so careful to prevent sickness like Museveni,” Besigye remarked.

“He will do anything possible to avoid catching any disease and even if he contracts any, no matter how small, he’ll do anything possible to destroy that infection as quickly as possible. Sometimes he’ll use treatment that is much more potent for whatever condition that’s affecting him,” he said.

According to a health website Healthdirect, people who get very worried about getting seriously ill, suffer from a condition called hypochondria.

President Museveni announced last week while delivering the State of the Nation address that he had tested positive for Covid19.

That Wednesday evening, he went into self isolation at the Nakasero State Lodge, from where he has been basing to update the nation about his health.

On Sunday, June 11, the President said his infection was only mild, causing him only a mild headache.

The President also said although he always safeguards himself from catching infections, it is not always out of fear of sickness, but because he does not like being indisposed.

“I always avoid factors that can cause ill-health, not because I fear being sick but because I detest missing the struggle for Africa’s freedom,” Museveni said.

President Museveni is also a self admitted germaphobe, revealing one time that he never uses his left hand to touch people in public.

He said he decided to dedicate his right hand to Ugandans and reserved the left one for himself for his personal hygiene.