World Malaria Day marked with free medical outreach at Lubaga Cathedral

__________________

Hundreds of residents from Kampala, Wakiso districts and other communities received free medical treatment for various ailments during a medical camp held at Lubaga Cathedral in commemoration of World Malaria Day on April 26, 2026.

The ceremony was organised by Quality Chemical Industries Limited (QCIL) and other partners in a bid to save lives. This year’s camp was held under the global theme "Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must".

Harrison Kiggundu, the head of human resources at QCIL, revealed that they donated free malaria treatment doses and other medical support worth sh78m during this year’s medical camp. 

Sarah Musumba, head of environment, social and governance at QCIL, said for this particular medical camp, QCIL donated a total of 215 free anti-malarial doses.

Musumba, also the charter president of the Rotary Club of Kampala, also organised free blood donation to save lives.

QCIL partnered with over 10 organisations, including Centenary Bank, which donated sh7.5m towards malaria treatment, Prudential Assurance Uganda Limited, which provided over 100 treated mosquito nets, and the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB), which donated 1,000 free eyeglasses.

Lubaga Hospital, St Francis Nsambya Hospital and Joint Medical Stores provided free malaria testing, treatment and professional counselling.

Other free medical services offered to the community included antenatal care, paediatric consultations, diabetes and hypertension screening, as well as eye and dental check-ups.



The Archbishop of Kampala Diocese, Paul Ssemogerere, in a message read by Monsignor Lawrence Ssemusu, said: “Together with faith and determination, we can move closer to a Uganda free from malaria; together we can choose life."

“You have acted like the Good Samaritan in the Bible, your example reminds us that even when money is scarce, compassion must never be; true wealth is measured not by what we keep, but by what we share,” Ssemogerere added.

Dr Grace Nannyondo, the medical director at Lubaga Hospital, explained that because of urban settings like Rubaga division, malaria does not always present in the way people expect. She said people often assume that Kampala district is safer from malaria, but daily hospital experience tells a different story.

“Across Kampala district, over 680,000 cases were recorded between 2020 and 2023. Lubaga Hospital registers notable transmission, with incidence estimates in the range of about 100 cases per 1,000 people in some population groups."

She said Lubaga Hospital receives patients from all five Kampala divisions and beyond, many presenting late for treatment. She warned that malaria still exists but is preventable and treatable, emphasising that early testing, consistent use of mosquito nets and completing treatment save lives.

Dr Asumputa Nabawanuka, director of clinical services at Nsambya Hospital, said that in the financial year 2024/2025, a total of 679 malaria cases were treated at the facility.

Dr Ezra Nnunda Kibirango, a consultant physician and diabetologist at Mengo Hospital, said that according to the World Malaria Report 2025, global progress has recently stalled due to funding gaps and biological challenges.

Malaria burden 

The WHO African Region continues to bear the heaviest burden, accounting for 95% of all global cases and deaths. Children under five years remain the most affected, representing 75% of all malaria deaths in Africa.

Uganda consistently ranks among the countries with the highest malaria burden globally, accounting for approximately 5% of the world’s cases.

Kibirango said prevalence is highest in Lango (32%), Karamoja (26%) and Acholi (23%) sub-regions, while Kampala and Kigezi recorded the lowest prevalence at approximately 1%.

In the 2024/25 financial year, malaria remained the leading cause of health facility admissions (26.8%) and outpatient visits (26.1%) in Uganda.

He said the Ministry of Health introduced the malaria vaccine into routine immunisation in 2024, reaching 96% coverage for the first dose by June 2025. Uganda is one of four African countries where partial resistance to artemisinin has been confirmed.