UK government injects sh48b into Uganda's health sector

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The United Kingdom government has injected £9 million (about sh48 billion) into Uganda's health sector this financial year.

Arnold Kabbale, the health advisor at the British High Commission Kampala, said the UK has supported Uganda’s response to the Ebola outbreak, equipped hospitals with lifesaving equipment and supported organ transplant surgeries through a partnership with Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Other areas of investment have included the treatment of 15,000 children suffering from malnutrition, improving cardiac imaging and maternal-foetal medicine with University College London and support training in critical care nursing in partnership with Cambridge Global Health.

“In the wider health sector, this year alone, we (British government) have invested over £9 million,” said Kabbale during the certificate award ceremony for nurses, doctors and midwives at Ernest Cook University in Kampala on Thursday (October 15).

The 53-strong cohort completed a three-month training course on using Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS). Here, frontline healthcare workers are equipped with bedside ultrasound skills to answer specific clinical questions and guide treatment decisions.

The training was supported by the British High Commission, the Ministry of Health, UNFPA, Pathfinder International, and Doctors with Africa CUAMM.

“As you return to your respective departments, facilities, and communities, remember that every scan is an opportunity to improve a diagnosis, inform a clinical decision, reassure a patient, and potentially save a life," Kabbale urged the graduates.

Health Advisor at the British High Commission Arnold Kabbale (seated fourth right) , the Vice Chancellor of Ernest Cook University Prof. Dr Michael Kawooya (seated fourth left), Dr Ritah Waddimba (seated fifth right), and the country director of Pathfinder pose for a group photograph with the graduates during the certificate award ceremony at the campus in Kampala on Thursday, October 15, 2026.

"The impact of your training will be measured not only by the certificates you receive today, but by the lives you touch tomorrow."

Prof. Dr Michael Kawooya, the vice-chancellor of Ernest Cook University, underscored the importance of upscaling both medical diagnostic skills and patient access through POCUS.

According to the health ministry, there is low uptake of antenatal ultrasound scan coverage in Uganda, currently standing at 28%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that every pregnant woman should have access to eight ultrasound scans before delivery, and gives a minimum of two where eight is not possible.

Kawooya urged the government to have at least one POCUS-trained midwife in every public health facility providing antenatal care, supported by functional ultrasound equipment, appropriate supervision and reliable referral pathways.

He ​commended the funders and the implementing partners for the support in advancing training and access to services, which he said is helping bringing diagnostic capacity closer to communities that need it.

“We request for continued collaboration to ensure that trained practitioners have the equipment, supervision and referral support necessary to translate their skills into meaningful outcomes."

Dr Ritah Waddimba, the country director of Pathfinder International, said the organisation is supporting the Ugandan government to reduce preventable maternal, neonatal, and child deaths through its EMPOWER programme.

She said strengthening ultrasound capacity at the point of care helps health workers to make more timely informed decisions about referrals and the management of pregnancies and its complications, especially in settings where access to such services is limited.

"Ultimately, these skills contribute to efforts to reduce preventable maternal and perinatal deaths."