Following a social media blitz under hashtag UgandaHealthExhibition, this website is equally exhibiting factual exhibitions of the improvements in the country’s health sector. Whereas it is true it is not yet uhuru for the ideal health sector, this column will highlight the transformations under 12 key pillars in Uganda’s health sector.
When it comes to good health, nothing one compares with preventive health. It is better to deal with the problem when it is still far away when one is bedridden. That is what the ministry of health has done in its strategy.
The Ministry of Health has optimised vaccination services by enhancing uptake, efficiency and understanding specific vulnerabilities of the population.
Through vaccination as one of the tools for prevention of diseases and promoting the citizens right to health, Uganda has provided vaccines against childhood illnesses, prevention of cancers and diseases in adulthood, as well as vaccines in response to disease outbreaks guided by the vulnerability profiles of the priority groups.
The goal of the vaccination program is to ensure every child and priority populations at risk of Vaccine Preventable Disease are fully vaccinated. To this end the Ministry strives to;
1. Provide equitable access to and create demand for immunisation services;
2. Ensure availability of effective vaccines and supplies, and appropriate storage;
3. Monitor and evaluate program performance, occurrence of Vaccines Preventable diseases and Adverse Events Following Immunisation
Prevention of childhood illnesses and mortality:
We all know that children are vulnerable to severe diarrhoea, pneumonia, Diphtheria, Polio, Pertussis, Tetanus, Tuberculosis, Measles and Rubella – the ministry has invested massively in vaccinations for the above. New vaccines are being progressively added to the national immunization schedule and now, Uganda vaccinates against 13 immunizable diseases.
Vaccination against yellow fever and the second dose of Measles Rubella are now added to the national vaccination schedule, since 2022. Three years since the mass Measles Rubella vaccination in 2019, outbreaks of measles have been interrupted. Ministry of health has increased vaccination coverage for DPT3 to 92% in 2021 compared to immunization of 9% in 1981 and 14% in 1986.
It is upon those efforts that there is a corresponding reduction of childhood mortality to 42 per 1,000 lives in 2016 from 98 per 1,000 live births in 1988.
Prevention of cancers and diseases in adulthood:
There is a big cancer scare across the globe. Uganda has not been spared. In line with the epidemiological transition of the national disease profile, Ministry of Health has introduced two vaccines against control of the leading cancers in Uganda; cancer of the liver caused by Hepatitis B Virus and cancer of the cervix caused by the Human Papilloma Virus in 2002 and 2015 respectively. We also understand, health authorities are soon introducing the birth dose of Hepatitis B to consolidate the current gains in hepatitis control.
Vaccination against Epidemics and pandemics:
Ministry of Health established the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system since 20 years ago for monitoring diseases with epidemic potential and disease targeted for eradication or elimination. Upon confirming outbreaks of such diseases, Ministry of Health response institutes public health measures including vaccination of vulnerable persons for example against Yellow Fever, Cholera, Meningitis outbreaks and of recent Ebola and COVID-19.
Ministry of Health is informed by the epidemiology of the diseases to ensure the people at the highest risk of infection and adverse outcomes are prioritized for prevention of diseases with vaccines. That explains why children are mainly targeted based on the vulnerability they have. You may note that for COVID-19, the elderly, persons with underlying health conditions; persons at increased risk of infections were prioritized based on their vulnerability to severe disease, hospitalizations and death. These groups responded well to the call of the ministry and the coverage among this groups stands above 80%. As the numbers of the vaccinated increased, progressive decline in the numbers of persons admitted with severe disease was seen.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health invested in cold chain capacities and procure and installed 2,431 solar powered vaccine fridges in lower-level health facilities to ensure adequate vaccines are stored close to the people to meet the needs of the target population. In the long term, MoH envisions a Uganda that is free of vaccine preventable diseases; and in the medium term the public health importance of the disease in terms of morbidity, mortality and disability is reduced to improve health and productivity.
Next, we shall exhibition the transformations in Uganda’s Emergency Services.
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