Gov’t roots for community social innovations in health initiatives

KAMPALA - The Government has asked Makerere University researchers to strengthen community innovations in health.

“We want to see the Makerere University and innovators spread out the social innovations in health initiatives to the community so that the impact is bigger,” said the Director General Health Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr Charles Olaro.

He was speaking during the launch of the regional community practice of social innovations in Health initiatives at the 6th Uganda National Social Innovation in Health stakeholder workshop at Hotel Africana Kampala on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

The launch was officiated by the representative from the Sweden Embassy in Uganda, Tomas Lundstrom, Dr. Olaro and the Vice Chancellor Makerere University, Barnabas Nawangwe.

Vice Chancellor Makerere University Prof Barnabas Nawangwe addressing participants during the launch of the launch of the regional community practice of social innovations in Health initiatives at the 6th Uganda National Social Innovation in Health stakeholder workshop at Hotel Africana Kampala on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (All Photos by Agnes Kyotalengerire)

The meeting attracted officials from the health ministry, researchers from Makerere School of Public Health and stakeholders such as Action 4 Health Uganda, Alliance of Women in Advocating for Change, Sole Hope, Innovations for Development and NewLife Adolescents and Youth Organisation Uganda, Tweyambe Emergence services (TES), Lucy Girl sanitary pads, Purple Bench Initiative, Providing opportunities for women in Entrepreneurship and reproductive health (POWER) and Volunteer Action Network among others.

A social learning network in form of a community of practice, also termed as ‘Social Innovation in Health Initiative Community of Practice’ is a collaborative network of multi-disciplinary stakeholder teams (including social innovators, communities, researchers, and policy makers), working together to share information, experiences, and best practices about social innovation in health amongst themselves.

The Social Innovations in Health (SIHI) hub in Uganda is hosted at Makerere University School of Public Health.

Tomas Lundstrom addressing participants.

During the workshop, the award-winning fellows in social innovations in health programs received certificates of recognition.

Representative of the Sweden Embassy in Uganda, Tomas Lundstrom, noted that there is a huge funding gap across the globe and called for the need to mobilize funding domestically.

 “We have lost a lot of funds through the USA cuts, and we need to find new ways of getting it,” he noted.

Prof. Nawangwe applauded researchers from Makerere School of Public Health, noting, “Public health is extremely important, and it is the reason many partners and donors around the world invest in health. You cannot achieve much without a healthy nation.” 

Dr Phyllis Awor from Social Innovations in Health Initiative (SIPI) said the launch is timely given that existing and emerging health challenges pose a significant burden to humanity, especially those from Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

“This calls for the creation, enhancement and scaling-up of sustainable and cost-effective strategies and solutions to promote positive health outcomes,” Dr. Awor noted.

 Social innovation in health Initiatives (SIHI) have proven to be effective in addressing complex health challenges and their dynamic contexts, such as poverty, sub-optimal education and poor environment, she said.