I was recently attending a health camp sponsored by NSSF, Uganda Heart Institute when the minister of state for health Sarah Opendi advised the senior citizens that people above 45 years of age should take one aspirin each day.
She explained that, this prevents the formation of blood clots, and given that blood clots are among the leading causes of death among the elderly today, this would go a long way in preventing such unnecessary death.
While her explanation made sense, a memory pricked in my mind. If I remember very well, isn’t aspirin among the tablets that were banned from use against any medical problem. If I am right, when was it authorized to be safe for usage again? And why weren’t we notified about it?
I highly suggest that someone may be a health practitioner to come out with a clear explanation. Are we supposed to use aspirin or not? It will really be a shame if the minister advised us to use aspirin to save our lives from blood clots when it can as well destroy our lives in another way.
Medical Practitioners
