The government wrote off UGX 316.65 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines, ARVs, and test kits in the last financial year, a drastic increase from UGX 33 billion written off in the previous year, according to Auditor General Edward Akol. Akol revealed this during the handover of the 2023/2024 financial year audit report to Deputy Speaker…
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…
Until she was detached from paternal care, Jovia Laker (not her real name) realized she was not just fighting for parental love but also carrying the burdens handed down by traditions that had condemned her to a life of rejection. When her birth was confirmed as the result of incest, by her father, a blood…
Kitgum District has confirmed its first case of cholera after a 21-year-old male resident of Pager Division in Kitgum Municipality tested positive for the disease. Titus Komakech, Kitgum’s surveillance focal point person, revealed that the patient was isolated at Kitgum General Hospital last week following a positive Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) result. Further confirmation came after…
By Nawanyaga Gloria, AVAC Advocacy Navigator HIV remains a critical public health issue, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) face a disproportionately high risk of infection. In Uganda, approximately 500 AGYW contract HIV each week. Despite the availability of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), adherence challenges often limit its effectiveness. However,…
The Ministry of Health and Kyotera District Health authorities are intensifying surveillance operations at Mutukula border-post, and other entry points following an outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Tanzania. The outbreak was traced in Kagera Region, particularly the two districts of Biharamulo and Muleba. MVD is a severe and highly fatal disease caused by a virus from the…
Thirty-one contacts of a Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) victim in Arua City have been traced, according to City Health Officer Dr. Pontious Apangu. While providing a status update during a task force meeting on Friday, Dr. Apangu noted that 28 of the contacts have completed their isolation period, with monitoring continuing for one remaining contact.…
Masaka Regional Referral Hospital is intensifying community screening for tuberculosis (TB) in response to a persistent rise in infections reported at the facility. Dr. James Eriama, Medical Director at Masaka Hospital, has expressed concern over an unusual surge in TB cases among the general patient population. In addition to patients already enrolled in treatment programs,…
The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has called for a swift and thorough investigation into the murder of Dr. Wilfred Olila, a renowned Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgeon, who was tragically killed on his way home from work last Friday. Dr. Olila, a lecturer at Soroti University and a practitioner at New Moroti Clinic, was…
Lamwo District has reported a significant decline in cholera cases, with 73 patients recovered and seven still hospitalized at Agoro Health Center III in Agoro Sub-county. Dr. Denis Omoya Ocula, the District Health Officer, confirmed, “The district has recorded a total of 81 cholera cases since the outbreak began 11 days ago. One death has…
The Executive Director of Mulago Specialized Women and Neonatal Hospital, Dr. Evelyn Nabunya, has announced the commencement of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) services at the facility, marking a significant milestone in fertility treatment offered by the Ugandan government. So far, 11 stimulations have been conducted, with two women successfully pregnant following the procedure. Dr. Nabunya…
Mulago National Referral Hospital has requested an additional UGX8.6 billion from Parliament to expand its organ transplant services, including introducing liver transplants starting in April 2025. The hospital’s Executive Director, Dr. Rosemary Byanyima, presented the hospital’s 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper to Parliament’s Health Committee, emphasizing the need for full funding to support critical medicines and…
Jinja Regional Referral Hospital has requested Shs500 million from the government to establish dialysis services, aiming to ease the burden on patients who currently travel long distances and face heavy traffic to access similar services at Kiruddu Hospital in Kampala. Dr. Alfred Yayi, the hospital’s director, made the appeal while presenting the facility’s 2025/26 Budget…
The Director of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga, has informed Parliament that 57 women died during labor at the facility within a year, with 45 of them dying within 30 minutes of arrival. He attributed the high death toll to the long distances expectant mothers travel to access maternal services. Dr. Bwaga made…
The global vaccine cold chain is a branching network with myriad endpoints. In South Sudan, reporter Winnie Cirino profiled one of them. 15 January 2025 by Winnie Cirino About 12 kilometres from the town of Magwi in Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan, lies Omeo Payam, a rural settlement of scattered, grass-thatched homes. At the heart of…