Police in Lwengo District have arrested Mathias Ssekidde, a private health worker, for allegedly raping a patient at a private health facility in Kyassonko ward, Kisekka sub-county. Ssekidde, a laboratory technician, was taken into custody on Wednesday after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her during a medical examination. Twaha Kasirye, the Greater Masaka…
VillageReach has launched a new program, funded by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, to enhance laboratory sample referral and transportation systems for epidemic-prone infectious diseases across Africa. The initiative, which began in January 2025, aims to strengthen health systems in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. The program addresses key barriers…
Zadok Wabuse, a 78-year-old resident of Bukhabusi Sub-county in Namisindwa District, has been confirmed to have died from tuberculosis (TB), dispelling initial fears of an Ebola outbreak. Wabuse passed away at Bukhabusi Health Center III shortly after being admitted. His death raised alarm as he exhibited Ebola-like symptoms, including bleeding from multiple body openings. This…
Jovia, a 30-year-old resident of an island in Mayuge, lost her two-month-old baby when a locally made boat capsized as she attempted to reach a medical facility on the mainland. Two years later, when her second child fell ill with severe vomiting, fear of another boat tragedy led her to seek alternative treatments on…
Parliament approved an additional UGX53.119 billion for the controversial Lubowa Hospital project, bringing the total government investment to UGX529.588 billion. This approval came after Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja assured lawmakers that the hospital would be completed by April 2025, with medical workers already undergoing training in Italy. The decision faced strong resistance from the Opposition,…
Jigger infestations have significantly declined in Napak district following extensive community sensitization efforts. Between 2017 and 2022, jigger cases were widespread in Ngoleriet, Kangole, Lopei, and Lotome sub-counties, with Matany Hospital registering over 10 patients daily, most of them pregnant women seeking antenatal care. The situation worsened during the COVID-19 lockdown when people remained at…
Only 12.2% of Ugandans consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, according to a new survey by the Makerere University School of Public Health. The study, which examined the prevalence of risk factors for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among Ugandans, found that 87.8% of the population falls short of the recommended intake.…
Makerere University, heavily reliant on foreign funding for its research initiatives, is among the institutions significantly affected by the aid freeze imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Vice-Chancellor of Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe stated that the university is compiling a comprehensive list of affected research projects across its colleges, schools, and units. Several…
Dr. Godfrey Egwau, a gynecologist in Soroti City and the proprietor of Welfare Clinic, has been remanded to Soroti Government Prisons on charges of negligence following the death of a patient during childbirth. The Chief Magistrate at Soroti Magistrate Court, Sarah Nantongo, stated that she required additional time to review the sureties presented by Dr.…
Kalaki District has become the second district in the Teso Subregion to report Monkeypox (Mpox), following three confirmed cases in Katakwi District last week. According to Dr. Anthony Eriatu, the Kalaki District Health Officer, the infection was detected at Kalaki Health Centre III after laboratory tests confirmed the virus. Dr. Eriatu stated that the case…
The Uganda Heart Institute has officially begun constructing a state-of-the-art, 250-bed facility to expand cardiac care in the country. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng urged the contractors, Arab Contractors, to work diligently, emphasizing that the facility is a key national deliverable as Uganda prepares for the 2026 General Elections.…
A recent move by former U.S. President Donald Trump to halt aid as part of a broader reassessment of foreign policy has reignited debate on Uganda’s heavy reliance on donor funding for critical public health programs, particularly HIV treatment. Currently, Uganda’s HIV response is almost entirely funded by external donors, raising concerns about the sustainability…
The Ministry of Health has begun administering the Ebola Sudan trial vaccine to high-risk populations following the recent outbreak in Uganda. The rollout follows the country’s eighth recorded outbreak of the Ebola Sudan strain, which claimed the life of a health worker from Mulago Hospital. Professor Bruce Kirenga, the trial’s principal investigator, revealed that 2,460…
Jailed opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye has expressed fears of being poisoned while in prison, leading him to refuse food provided by the facility and go on a hunger strike after being denied access to meals from home, Members of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee have reported. While presenting the minority report during Tuesday’s plenary sitting,…
A section of MPs has accused technocrats at the Ministry of Health of colluding with top government officials to manipulate resource allocation for political gain, leading to disparities in healthcare services across the country. During a meeting between Parliament’s Health Committee and the Ministry of Health to review the 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper, Soi County…