Parliament Approves More Funds for Lubowa Hospital Amid Concerns

Parliament has approved an additional UGX53.119 billion for the controversial Lubowa Hospital project, bringing the total government investment to UGX529.588 billion. This approval followed assurances by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja that the hospital would be completed by April 2025, with medical workers already undergoing training in Italy. The decision was met with resistance from the…

Organ Transplants on Hold as UGX 7Bn Council Funding Stalls

Over 100 patients in Uganda awaiting kidney transplants remain stranded due to the government’s failure to allocate UGX 7.2 billion required to operationalize the Organ Transplant Council. Dr. Charles Ayume, MP for Koboko Municipality, raised the issue in a written query to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja during yesterday’s parliamentary plenary. He questioned the government’s delay…

Concerns Grow Over Dr. Besigye’s Health in Luzira Prison as MPs Demand Action

Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Fox Odoi (MP, West Budama North East), has been directed to visit Dr. Kizza Besigye in Luzira Prison following concerns about his deteriorating health and allegations that prison authorities have denied him food from his family. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa issued this directive amidst heated debate in Parliament,…

As mpox fears stoke rumours in Zambia, church leaders and brothel workers are fighting stigma

Memories of the AIDS crisis of the 1990s, in which the sick were shunned and whole social groups became scapegoats, are driving a pastor-led mythbusting campaign in Lusaka. 22 January \2025 by Tsitsi Bhobo Pastor Bingu Musonza, a Lusaka church leader, inclines his head to one side, scratching absentmindedly at the pages of his bible, as…

TAG Condemns Planned U.S. Withdrawal from WHO

Treatment Action Group (TAG) is appalled by President Donald Trump’s executive order Monday signaling the United States will be withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO). Mark Harrington, TAG’s Executive Director, said, “This insane threat by the U.S. government threatens the lives of millions. This move will seriously undermine both domestic and global health, and…

Rwanda Boosts Healthcare with 390 Handheld Ultrasound Devices

Philips, a global leader in health technology, has supplied 390 Lumify handheld ultrasound devices to Rwanda’s Imbuto Foundation, a non-governmental organization managing over 20 projects in health, education, and youth empowerment. The initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to transform healthcare delivery across Rwanda, particularly in underserved regions. The Philips Lumify…