Nansana ghetto gets first-of-its-kind medical camp as Ghetto Structures, PLU join hands

Residents of Nansana in Wakiso District will receive free medical treatment on Sunday, November 8, as the government-backed Ghetto Structures Programme and the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) join forces to organise their first medical camp in the area.

The camp, scheduled to run from 8am to 4pm in Nansana Ghetto, will provide free cancer screening, dental care, eye treatment and other medical services to residents.

PLU Wakiso District coordinator Freda Twesigye is sponsoring the outreach, which organisers hope to extend to ghetto communities across Uganda.

The event poster names Maj Emma Kuteesa, the presidential coordinator for Ghetto Affairs, as chief guest. Maj Gen Christopher Ddamulira, the Uganda Police Force's director of Crime Intelligence and national coordinator of Ghetto Structures, is also featured among the expected guests, although his attendance remains unconfirmed.

Businge Ali, the speaker of Nansana Ghetto Structure, is listed among the local leaders involved in the event.

The coordinator of the PLU Medical Team, Dr Gilbert Tuhamire, said the camp would bring together specialist doctors and general practitioners to offer treatment without charging patients.

"We have a dedicated team of specialists and general physicians capable of rendering all these services to our people free of charge," Dr Tuhamire said.

He said the medical team would offer cervical, breast and prostate cancer screening, alongside blood pressure and blood sugar checks.

Other services will include dental treatment, eye care, mental health support, laboratory tests, paediatric care for children, gynaecological consultations and reproductive healthcare, including family planning.

Patients will also receive counselling, treatment for ear, nose and throat conditions, orthopaedic care for bone and joint problems, and medicines prescribed by doctors.

Twesigye said the Nansana camp would mark the beginning of a nationwide healthcare initiative targeting urban communities where residents struggle to access medical services.

"I am sponsoring a medical camp, the first of its kind in the ghetto structures," Twesigye said.

She said the programme would begin in Nansana before expanding to other ghetto communities across the country.

The outreach brings together two separate initiatives: Ghetto Structures, a state-led programme established under President Yoweri Museveni, and PLU, a civic organisation chaired by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

The Ghetto Structures Programme was developed through collaboration between State House, particularly the Office of the Comptroller, and the Uganda Police Force's Directorate of Crime Intelligence.

The initiative organises young people in informal urban settlements to promote security, discipline, economic empowerment and community development.

The Nansana medical camp will introduce a healthcare component to the joint community outreach.

Beyond treatment, PLU will use the event to conduct online membership registration and collect endorsements for Gen Muhoozi's proposed 2031 presidential bid.

PLU has also announced plans to open regional and district offices from December 1 to support registration and political mobilisation.

The Nansana event will therefore combine free healthcare with community engagement and PLU's ongoing membership and endorsement exercise.