US to Uganda: Invest in health more

Nov 15, 2016

Malac says funding of health interventions by the US is one aspect in Uganda’s pursuant of the global health agenda.

KAMPALA - The US, a major funder of health-related interventions in Uganda, has asked the Government to increase investment in health and build the competence of medical professionals to respond to new emerging and recurring epidemics.

The US ambassador to Uganda, Deborah Malac, said although America spends over $400m on health-related interventions in developing countries, including Uganda, annually, the country ought to set up its robust network of health professionals to competently respond and halt outbreaks of epidemics.

She was delivering a keynote address at the first regional biosafety and biosecurity conference in Kampala on Monday.

Currently, the US-based Centres for Disease Control (CDC) is funding a five-year Public Health Fellowship Programme for Ugandan medical professionals at Makerere University School of Public Health.

The competence-based fellowship programme is benefitting health professionals with master's degrees in public health, health services research, epidemiology, laboratory technology, microbiology, veterinary public health, nutrition and environmental health.

The programme is aimed at improving their capacity to respond to public health problems.

Malac said funding of health interventions by the US is just one aspect in Uganda's pursuant of the global health agenda, but setting up a network of health professionals capable of detecting, responding and halting epidemics is a big plus to achieving the desired goals .

"Uganda should also develop strong biosafety and biosecurity systems to overcome threats posed by bioterrorism," said the envoy.

On her part, Uganda's health minister, Jane Aceng, said the Government had crafted a biosafety and biosecurity plan and is setting up a taskforce to respond to the threats posed by bioterrorism.



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