Patients receiving treatment from Mulago Heart Institute are furious by the enormous noise coming from the nearby bars at Mulago Business Centre, which continues to hamper their activities.
The constant talk, loud music, and laughter from the bars are distressing for both patients and doctors on duty.
Despite complaints from patients, visitors, doctors, and even staff members at Mulago National Referral Hospital, the management of Mulago Heart Institute seems powerless to address this serious noise pollution from the nearby joints at Mulago Business Centre.
A source said most people who hang out at Mulago Business Centre and some bar owners are either armed or too powerful to be confronted.
The source added that this has made it impossible to take any action to mitigate the noise pollution affecting their premises.
“Management told us that the owners of these bars are top security officers and are always there,” Johnson Segawa said.
He said it’s hard to sit at Mulago Business Centre if you are not a soldier or police officer, since they may think that someone is spying on them.
Segawa appealed to NEMA, UPDF, and police to restrain this practice, which may continue impeding proper medical treatments at the Heart Institute.
He adds that despite several attempts, the owners of the bars and local authorities have failed to dialogue to resolve the issue.
Acute noise stress can cause a physical disruption of the plaque, leading to cardiovascular disease, including acute and chronic coronary syndrome, stroke, arrhythmia, arterial hypertension, and heart attack, plus mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Pollution of the environment (noise or otherwise) is a criminal offence as stipulated in Section 163 of the National Environment Act, No. 5 of 2019. A person who commits a pollution-related offence is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand currency points, imprisonment not exceeding fifteen years, or both.
The law requires that establishments such as places of worship, recreational activities, and production activities either submit project briefs or undertake environmental and social impact assessments to enable relevant authorities to guide their operations.
This is to ensure that aspects of the environment, including noise, air, and water pollution, are not compromised.
The cardiovascular burden of noise is particularly insidious, with annoyance reactions and sleep disturbances leading to an increased risk of heart disease. A 2015 report from the European Environment Agency linked exposure to sounds with nearly 1.7 million additional cases of hypertension, and premature deaths due to coronary heart disease and stroke.
