Machine for making COVID-19 diagnostics worth UGX 5.14 million of tax payers’ money lies idle

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee-Central Government has noted a possibility of the tax payer losing 1.59 billion Shillings in unutilized COVID-19 equipment purchased by the disbanded Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The equipment identified as the Dr Oligo DNA Synthesizer Machine was procured for a scientist from M/S Micro Haem Scientific and Medical Supplies Limited,…

Kamwenge district: Treatment regime policy change blamed for expiring drugs in health centres

The State House Health Monitoring Unit is conducting an investigation into Kamwenge district, following public complaints of ineffective service delivery in local health facilities. 700 million Shillings worth of drugs – including anti-malarials, quinine and ARVs – have been found to be past their expiration date. Team leader Dr. Brian Alinaitwe has accused District Health…

A New Approach to Treating Postpartum Bleeding: The Next Step in Revolutionizing Maternal health

A joint study led by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of Birmingham has found a potential solution to reducing deaths due to postpartum hemorrhage. The new solution is called E-MOTIVE. Approximately 14 million women experience this phenomenon each year, leading to around 70,000 fatalities – or one death every 6…

Government has created a new regulator for agriculture and veterinary health inputs

Cabinet has given its approval for the proposed amendments to the National Drug Policy and Authority Act, authorizing the creation of a new entity responsible for regulating agricultural and veterinary health inputs. The current framework falls under the purview of the National Drug Authority (NDA), prompting a Ministry of Health request to restructure these measures.…

The Constitutional Court of Uganda Nullifies The Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances Control Act

The Constitutional Court in Kampala declared null and void the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act of 2016 this morning. The decision was based on the fact that it was not passed with the required quorum in Parliament. Five Justices presided over the case including the Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera, Stephen Musota who has…

Questions about 240 C-Sections recorded at Arua regional hospital in just a month

At least 240 of the 560 deliveries recorded at Arua Regional Referral Hospital in April were by cesarean section. Cesarean section, or C-section, is a surgical procedure that can effectively prevent maternal and newborn mortality when used for medically indicated reasons.  Jane Francis Moria, in charge of the maternity ward, noted that some expectant mothers…