Museveni applauds Mildmay on HIV fight

President Yoweri Museveni has applauded Mildmay Uganda for its interventions to end the HIV epidemic, especially ending the mother-to-child transmission.

This was during at the launch of Mildmay's 30-year masterplan to evolve into a teaching a hospital at the Mildmay offices in Lweza, Wakiso district.

In his speech ready Vice-President Edward Ssekandi, Museveni noted that since 2014, all children born to HIV-positive mothers at Mildmay Uganda Hospital have remained HIV negative.

"This is great milestone. I, therefore, urge you to continue promoting the campaign for positive mothers to know that they can have an HIV/AIDS free generations after them," he noted.  

The President, who is also the patron of Mildmay, said Uganda had over 3,000 children waiting for the lifesaving drugs through Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2004.

 
Today Mildmay offers support care for over 100,000 people (13% ) of the total number of clients on antiretroviral therapy, 7,000 of whom are children," he added.

He acknowledged Mildmay's support towards Government's initiative to eradicate the HIV epidemic through the fast-track initiative to end HIV and AIDS in Uganda.

While launching the masterplan, Ssekandi said the move is timely as this would supplement the Government's efforts to improve quality health services in the country.

The centre has started offering other general health services, alongside the HIV services.

The $33million (about sh118b) project focuses on infrastructure expansion to increase the training space, laboratory expansion, increase access and provide quality health services.

The Mildmay Executive Director, Dr. Barbara Mukasa, said they want to evolve into a fully-fledged modern not-for-profit teaching hospital offering comprehensive health care services and training as part of her contribution to the national goal of universal access to health care.

She said this is all aimed at responding to the gaps, constraints and emerging priorities in health care.

Mukasa noted that with the adoption of the test and start approaches, 98% adults and adoloscents and 100% children below 15 years have been enrolled on Antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Dr. Richard Wanyama, the director of sustainability and partnerships at Mildmay, said they have already introduced programmes for Nursing and midwifery, Medical Laboratory Technology and Clinical Officers.

The state minister for general duties at the ministry of health, Sarah Opendi, said Uganda still has challenges with quality health human resource.

"These days, teaching institutions mind about numbers not quality. I think Mildmay is on the right track. We are going to construct more health Centre IIIs in different sub-counties to improve health services," she added.