The Ministry of Health (MoH) recorded troubling fluctuations in maternal deaths during the surveillance weeks of September and October 2025, raising concerns about the country’s progress towards reducing preventable maternal mortality. According to the ministry’s weekly epidemiological bulletins, Week 38 (Sept. 15–21) saw eight reported maternal deaths, a drop from 16 the week before. Among…
The National Drug Authority (NDA) has ordered an immediate recall of all batches of the anesthesia drug Bupitroy Heavy from the Ugandan market, citing severe and potentially fatal side effects. In an Oct. 16 letter to the pharmacist in charge at Abacus Pharma (A) Ltd., NDA Secretary Dr. David Nahamya said the regulator had received…
The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has issued a strong warning against a growing wave of misinformation claiming that men suckling women’s breasts can prevent breast cancer — calling the notion completely false and scientifically baseless. Speaking at the Uganda Media Center in Kampala during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Naghib Bogere, an oncologist at UCI,…
Providers of family planning services in refugee-hosting health facilities are calling for professional interpreters, saying language barriers are compromising care and preventing refugees from making informed contraceptive choices. Speaking at a stakeholders’ dialogue organized by Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) on sexual and reproductive health in refugee settings, Maria Goretti Kemirembe, a family…
Several sickle cell patients enrolled in the clinic at Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH) are going without Hydroxyurea, a key crisis-management drug that helps prevent severe complications. Hydroxyurea is a disease-modifying medication for sickle cell anemia that reduces painful crises, hospitalizations, and acute chest syndrome. It works by increasing fetal hemoglobin (HbF), making red blood…
The Joint Medical Store (JMS) has launched a 12-billion-shilling medical warehouse in Gulu City, a major investment expected to transform the distribution and availability of quality medical supplies across Northern Uganda. The state-of-the-art facility, the second JMS branch outside Kampala, marks a milestone in the organization’s drive to decentralize health logistics and improve access to…
Sickle cell warriors at Mukono General Hospital have received a boost after the Sarafina Sickle Cell Society donated four wheelchairs and more than 2,000 Sickle Scan test kits to improve access to care and mobility support. The donation, supported by U.S.-based partners — My Three Sicklers Foundation and Sickle Forward — targets vulnerable patients, especially…
Dorothy Kirunda is what she has to be: a health provider, counsellor, social justice campaigner, witness, teacher, engine of charity and adoptive mother. 10 October 2025 by James Karuga In Kiyindi, a bustling, densely-populated rural fishing town on Lake Victoria’s shores in Uganda, Dorothy Kirunda, a local community health worker (CHW) sits, listening to Aisha…
It’s a disease of poverty with alarming symptoms and the risk of grave outcomes. But learning how to prevent and treat bilharzia helped this Ondo community find a new sense of confidence in the face of a parasitic scourge. 16 October 2025 by Adetokunbo Abiola Agnes Oluwakemi was hawking cucumbers at her local marketplace in…
Uganda’s first amphibian aircraft designed to serve ordinary citizens was officially launched on Tuesday, marking a new chapter in connecting remote island communities on Lake Victoria. The plane will initially serve six islands — Bukasa, Buvuma, Buyovu, and Lingira among them — where access to the mainland has long been a challenge. Speaking at the…