Uganda News

As a way of leading by example, WHO Country Office staff donated blood to the Uganda Blood Transfusion Service in commemoration of World Blood Donor day 2013.

They were led by the WHO Country Representative Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu in an exercise that was conducted at the office. Overall, about 30 staff volunteered and donated blood which is more than 75% turn up. Recruitment of donors is an on-going activity required to maintain regular blood stocks in all health facilities.

The WHO Country Representative to Uganda, Dr. Wondemagegnehu Alemu, received on Friday, 21 June 2012, a team of consultants from EnCompass LLC (USA), who are in the country to evaluate the WHO Gates Africa Tobacco Control Project in Uganda. This is the second annual appraisal for the project, which was launched back in 2011, with the objective to support African governments arrest the growing tobacco use epidemic in the African Region.

Kampala August 2013 -- Uganda commemorated the World Breast Feeding Week (WBW) 2013 with a call to mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months after birth irrespective of their HIV status.

Kampala August 2013 -- Uganda has successfully interrupted transmission of onchocerciasis (River Blindness) in 8 out of 18 localized areas (foci) endemic for the disease and is likely to eliminate it by 2020.

Kampala, September 2013 -- Uganda’s Ministry of Health hosted the 19th Joint Review Mission and 9th National Health Assembly from 23rd to 26th September 2013 during which progress was reported on the 26 core health indicators.

Entebbe, Uganda, 30th September 2013 -- The managers of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) programmes from 38 countries in Africa and many partner agencies are meeting in Entebbe, Uganda from 30th September to 04th October 2013 to agree on priorities and coordinate plans and strategies to achieve the WHO 2020 NTD goals in the African region.

Kampala, 22nd October 2013 -- For the 8th consecutive year, Uganda commemorated the Safe Motherhood Day with weeklong activities that culminated into a national function held in Apac district. The function was presided over by the Speaker of Parliament The Right Honourable Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga under the theme “Teenage Pregnancy an obstacle to Safe Motherhood: Let us stop it now”.

Kampala, 8th November 2013 -- The Government of Uganda has launched a major national drive to end maternal and child deaths across the country. 

As part of the global “Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed” movement, the Vice President of the Republic of Uganda, His Excellency Edward Ssekandi, unveiled a sharpened plan that aims to prevent an additional 40 per cent of Under 5 deaths and 26 per cent of maternal deaths by 2017.

Kampala, 2nd December 2013 -- Staff of the WHO Country Office in Kampala completed a three-day training Global Learning Programme (GLP) workshop on National Health Policies, Strategies and Plans.

The main objective of the training was to enhance WHO capacity (individual and institutional) to engage in effective policy dialogue with national stakeholders and global partners and to effectively provide technical support using comprehensive health systems approach around health policies, strategies and plans.