The Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) has teamed up with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to address the shortage of rare blood groups, specifically the Rhesus-negative blood types, in the blood bank. The three-day drive aims to collect up to 3,000 units of this type of blood, with a particular focus on the “O-negative”…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new report on access to morphine for medical use. The report describes how the global distribution of morphine, as a vital pain medicine, is unequal and does not fulfill the medical need. The report, titled “Left Behind in Pain” released on Friday highlights the problems in access…
As the prevalence of the challenges of infertility rises among men and women, there is a growing trend in Uganda towards Assisted Reproductive Technology. This shift has led to the establishment of numerous fertility clinics in Kampala, offering hope to couples seeking to conceive. Assisted Reproductive Technology involves the fertilization of a woman’s eggs with a man’s sperm…
Health experts in Buliisa have raised concerns about the increasing cases of teenage pregnancies. Statistics at the district health department indicate that the district recorded 417 cases of teenage pregnancies between January and March this year. Dr. Alex Afeti, the Buliisa District Health officer-DHO says that of the 1,898 total pregnancies registered at the various…
The antibiotic drug Ethionamide has been discontinued as a treatment option for tuberculosis (TB) due to numerous complaints from men experiencing manhood problems. Ethionamide, a second-line therapy for TB, was commonly used in combination with other drugs for the treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) TB. However, the reported side effects have led health experts to…
The proposed national budget for the financial year 2023/24 in Uganda has raised concerns among health and political activists, as well as legislators, due to reduced allocations for the health and social development sectors. While the budget amount has increased to Shillings 52 trillion, a rise of four trillion Shillings from the previous year, the…
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, who had recently announced his COVID-19 diagnosis, is attending today’s budget reading ceremony virtually. The president declared on social media that he had tested positive for the virus on June 7, 2023, but stated that he did not feel sick and only experienced slight feverishness in the initial days. …
The VLA1553 vaccine candidate for chikungunya disease was generally well tolerated and produced an immune response in 99% or (263/266) of participants, according to a phase 3 randomised controlled trial published in The Lancet. Because the study, VLA1553-301, was not conducted in regions where chikungunya is endemic, researchers were unable to investigate whether the vaccine…
Nigeria’s health system is getting a major boost from Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology through a new international health partnership. Vantage Health Technologies, an international health technology provider – part of the BroadReach Group – is teaming up with Nigeria’s Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), a public health and development non-profit organisation. NHED harnesses…
Patients battling Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Uganda will soon benefit from a significant reduction in their treatment duration. Doctors anticipate that this change will help decrease the number of unnecessary deaths caused by TB and reduce the high cost of treatment per person. MDR-TB is a form of tuberculosis infection caused by bacteria that…