Parliament moves to regulate massage parlours

The Parliamentary Committee on Health has started pushing for the regulation of massage parlours after a public outcry on blood clots and injuries.

During a round table engagement meeting with the rehabilitation stakeholders in the country on Thursday, members of the committee raised concerns with a number of complaints coming from regular visitors of the parlours.

"There have been a lot of complaints that massage parlours are leading to blood clots and deaths in the country. Massage parlours and saloons are killing people slowly as they do not have professional attendants. People who have come to repair their physical bodies end up getting injuries,” Dr Samuel Opio Acuti, the deputy chairperson of the committee said.

Dr Charles Ayume, the chairperson of the committee said they are now looking at regulating the parlours to save people's lives.

"I’m one of the victims of these parlours, this has to be regulated for the services to be offered by professionals who know the sensitivity of different body parts. Some people have ended up with permanent nervous system damage because they are handled by non-rehabilitation professionals,” he said.

Mr Edmund Kintu, a member of the Allied Health Professionals Council and a representative of the Orthopedic Technology Board said there is a need to also regulate local entities that are making assistive devices such as wheelchairs, artificial limbs and others, to avoid fake ones including imported devices.

"Some entities are making devices that are not up to international standards required, and instead of trying to rehabilitate they are causing more harm," Mr Kintu said.

The Country Director of USAID ReLaB-HS, Uganda, Mr Sam Tukei Ojulo, said rehabilitation needs in the country are growing because of many factors including non-communicable diseases and the increasing number of accidents.

He said some health facilities have no rehabilitation infrastructures and therefore there is a need to strengthen the rehabilitation health system in Uganda to be able to close the gap.