Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health has expressed disappointment over poor health indicators within the population in the Greater Luwero districts despite a big budget allocation. According to the District Health report for 2023/24, at least 27% of outpatients were suffering from malaria, …
Read More »Why the Ik community in Karamoja is refusing to remain silent
A Mark of Resilience: The Ik community’s pursuit of improved service delivery in education and health COMMENT | Richard Ayesigwa | In the serene yet rugged highlands of Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region, a quiet but powerful wave of change is unfolding. The Ik people of Timu Sub County, long overlooked and …
Read More »Trump’s gift to Africa
Why the US president’s visa restrictions and aid cuts are good for the development of our continent THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Many people are angry with President Donald Trump for canceling the visas of many students studying in the USA. This is bad for individual families and students. I …
Read More »Religious leaders revive push for national health insurance
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) has raised concern that the country’s continued failure to implement a National Health Insurance Scheme could result in severe consequences, especially as international donors withdraw funding from critical health programs. Speaking at the launch of the upcoming Family …
Read More »The legacy of Cedric Babu
How this dynamic Ugandan combined a talent for sports with business, politics and entertainment THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week, Uganda lost one of its most dynamic citizens, Cedric Babu Ndilima, to a heart complication. On social media, opposition activists, who claim to be humane, went on …
Read More »Plastic pollution: a health crisis in Africa
African leaders must treat plastic pollution as an urgent public health crisis ANALYSIS | SOPHIE MASIKA & LORRAINE MUGAMBI-NYABOGA | Microplastics are all around us. In the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink. Those tiny fragments of broken-down plastic waste, are now part of our everyday …
Read More »Botswana leads the way in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Botswana has approximately 360,000 people living with HIV, with 98% of pregnant women living with HIV receiving treatment ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | In an historic global health milestone, Botswana has been validated as the first high HIV-burden country in the world, and the first in Africa, to reach the World Health …
Read More »Rwanda’s King Faisal Hospital unveils East Africa’s most advanced surgical robot
Beyond clinical application, the system is also designed with education and mentorship in mind ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | King Faisal Hospital has become the first medical facility in East Africa to introduce the ZEISS KINEVO 900S, the region’s most advanced robotic surgical microscope, marking a significant leap forward in neurosurgical care …
Read More »Africa sounds alarm on malaria drug resistance
More than 260 million malaria cases and nearly 600,000 deaths were reported in 2023 alone globally ANALYSIS | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Over the past two decades, Africa has made tremendous strides in the fight against malaria. Through the widespread use of insecticide-treated, bed nets (ITNs), rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), preventive medicines, …
Read More »QCIL secures $36mn to expand production as profits surge
The company hopes to increase tablet production from 1.4bn to 2.4bn annually Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, Quality Chemical Industries Ltd (QCIL), has secured a US$36 million (Shs133 billion) financing facility from Stanbic Bank Uganda to construct a second production facility, capitalising on a strong financial …
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