President Museveni has reaffirmed his commitment to support the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in its efforts to enhance the capacity of African health institutions in addressing disease threats across the continent.
During a meeting with the Africa CDC delegation, led by Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya, at State House Entebbe President Museveni discussed various initiatives aimed at bolstering Africa’s health systems.
Among the key topics were enhancing local pharmaceutical production, establishing Uganda as a regional laboratory hub, and strengthening community health programs, particularly through the Village Health Teams (VHTs). The ongoing monkeypox outbreak was also highlighted.
President Museveni reflected on the history of disease outbreaks in Africa, noting the devastating impact of smallpox in the 1890s when trade and the movement of people from the coast spread the disease.
He emphasized that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government has always prioritized disease prevention over cure, underscoring the role of immunization, clean water access, and public health education in reducing disease prevalence.
“We began with immunization, which has seen Uganda’s population grow from 14 million in 1986 to 46 million today. We also addressed diseases like Guinea worm and cholera through improved access to clean water,” Museveni stated.
However, he pointed out that malaria remains a challenge due to limited public awareness about prevention.
Touching on maternal health, President Museveni praised Uganda’s efforts to reduce maternal mortality by extending healthcare services to rural areas.
He also identified early marriages and poor nutrition as key contributors to health challenges, calling for greater education at the community level to address these issues.
Dr. Kaseya lauded President Museveni for spearheading the establishment of Africa CDC in 2016, which has allowed African nations to reduce their reliance on external health organizations.
He emphasized the need for more financial autonomy for Africa CDC, revealing that the organization had limited resources, despite managing disease outbreaks in 55 African countries.
“Even if it’s small money, we need to have our own funds. Uganda has already contributed $650,000 to Africa CDC, but more collective efforts are required across Africa,” Dr. Kaseya said, advocating for more internal funding rather than depending on international donors.
Dr. Kaseya also praised Uganda’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, particularly its production of anti-malarial drugs approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). He stressed that Africa should prioritize sourcing locally manufactured medicines rather than importing from outside the continent.
“We must ask ourselves: why should we import anti-malarial drugs from India when they are being produced in Uganda? We need to establish mechanisms to promote intra-Africa trade in medicines,” he said, referencing successful models like the African pool procurement mechanism.
The Director General also acknowledged Uganda’s robust community health systems and called on other African nations to invest more in grassroots health programs.
He noted that a $3 billion initiative to support community health workers across Africa was in progress, with the potential to grow even further.
On a personal note, Dr. Kaseya commended Uganda’s Minister of Health, describing her as a competent leader whose work extends beyond Uganda, benefiting the entire continent.
