Joint Clinical Research Centre Opens In Mbale

By Nathan EtenguThe Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) on Saturday opened its first up-county branch in Mbale.The centre will provide services to help HIV/AIDS patients in the eastern region.It was opened at Mbale hospital’s outpatients’ department. It will carry out research, counselling and provide anti-retroviral drugs to HIV/AIDS patients.The function was presided over by the state minister for primary health care, Dr. Beatrice Wabudeya, who represented health minister Brigadier Jim Muhwezi.in a speech read by Wabudeya, Muhwezi said the country was realising the fruits of hard work. He said his ministry had played a major role in fighting HIV/AIDS. Muhwezi said combined efforts had resulted into a drastic fall in the new HIV/AIDS cases in Uganda. “We shall implement the programme countrywide. We shall also offer free anti-retroviral drugs to prevent mother to child AIDS infection,” he said.The JCRC director, Dr. Jackson Mugyenyi, said not all people infected with HIV/AIDS require to be treated with anti-retroviral drugs.Ends