A high-level Busoga Region Integrated Regional Performance Review meeting was held at the Hotel Paradise On the Nile in Jinja City from 19th-21st, 2025, where Dr. Paul Waibale, a celebrated physician and epidemiologist, delivered a keynote address to over 200 health workers and administrators.
Dr. Waibale, who is also a board member of the Busoga Health Forum, an NGO focused on improving healthcare outcomes in the region, described Busoga as the “granary or command center of all kinds of diseases and socio-economic evils in the world”.
“…Busoga is the seat of all pathology and must be prioritized if Uganda is to record better score in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) scores”.
To provide context, the SDGs are a set of 17 interconnected goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to achieve a more sustainable and equitable world by 2030.The SDG Index assesses countries progress toward these goals, providing a score and rank based on their performance.
And so, in Dr Waible’s appeal, health plays a crucial role in achieving the SDGs, particularly Goal 3 which is Good Health and Well Being.
To track progress toward SDG3, the World Health Organization monitors indicators like under 5 mortality rate, neonatal mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio, access to essential health services and protection from health emergencies.
Overall health is intricately linked with many SDGs and addressing health challenges is essential for achieving the 2030 Agenda.
According to Dr. Waibale, the region’s healthcare challenges are multifaceted, with high infant and maternal mortality rates, poor health services, and a plethora of socio-economic issues.
He attributed the dismal performance in healthcare delivery to various factors, including inadequate resources, poor attitude, and lack of customer care.
Dr. Waibale painted a grim picture of the region’s healthcare landscape, citing statistics that show Busoga’s maternal and infant mortality rates are alarmingly high.
He defined a typical Musoga as a primary school dropout young man who wakes up daily to cut sugar cane, eats one meal a day with more carbohydrates than protein, and has limited access to quality healthcare or education.
“…the situation is dire, and we need to act urgently to address these challenges,” Dr. Waibale emphasized, adding “Busoga is the seat of all pathology, and we must prioritize it if Uganda is to record better scores in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) scores.”
In medical terms, pathology refers to the study of diseases including their causes, development and effects in the body. It involves examining tissues, organs and body fluids to understand the underlying mechanisms of diseases and guide diagnosis, treatment and prevention. In essence, pathology helps doctors and researchers understand how diseases work, which is crucial for developing effective treatments.
In the context of Dr Paul Waibale’s statement that “Busoga is the seat of all pathology”, he is using the term ‘pathology’ to describe the prevalence of various health issues and diseases in the region.
Here ‘pathology’ does not just refer to the study of diseases but also implies the presence of multiple health problems or diseases affecting the population.
Dr. Waibale also called for collective efforts to address the region’s healthcare challenges, emphasizing the need for mindset change among residents.
He urged health workers and administrators to work together to improve healthcare outcomes and reduce mortality rates in the region.
“…the right people are Busoga’s best resources,” Dr. Waibale said, quoting Colin Powell, a renowned American statesman and retired four-star general.
He challenged the leadership in Busoga to sensitize residents on mindset change so that they can embrace modernity and fight off negativities that have kept the region in a vicious cycle of poverty.
Dr. Waibale also took a swipe at lazy accounting officers who keep money idle in accounts, only to be returned to the treasury saying such civil servants should be denied opportunities of working in the region.
He commended the US President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, which has led to cuts in funding to healthcare programs in Uganda and other African countries.
The Trump policy slashed nearly 50BUSD foreign aid targeting global health, education and agriculture programme which has affected mostly African countries that rely heavily on US assistance.
The US leader also froze 72BUSD in US foreign aid spending leading to the suspension of hundreds of development projects in over 200 countries and territories, Uganda inclusive.
The Trump Agenda, particularly the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)has greatly affected Uganda’s healthcare system in many aspects.
These include budget shortfall with the Ministry of Health now facing a staggering shs 500billion budget hole due to the USAID closure, with a shortfall of over shs 400billion in the budget.
Disrupted Healthcare Services-Reports available indicate that local NGOs and public health facilities have reported disruptions in service delivery, including stock0outs of some drugs, among others.
Uganda’s experience mirrors a broader crisis across Africa as a whole where aid-dependent countries are reeling from reduced support.
“…we need to cut our suit according to our cloth…,” Dr. Waibale said, emphasizing the need for self-sustenance and accountability in healthcare delivery.
Dr Paul Waibale also emphasized the importance of health resilience defining it as the ability of health actors, institutions and populations to effectively anticipate, prepare for, absorb, adapt and recover from various shocks and stressors.
This capacity enables health systems to maintain high-quality individual and population health services while continuously improving their baseline capacities and performance in all contexts.
By building resilient health systems, Busoga and Uganda can better respond to health crises, maintain essential services and ultimately improve health outcomes.
Participants welcomed Dr Waibale’s call to action, arguing that it highlights the need for collective efforts to strengthen health systems and ensure they are equipped to handle a wide range of challenges.
The chief convener of the now annual event, Dr Alfred Yayi who is also the Director Jinja Regional Referral Hospital challenged participants to use the knowledge, information and experience to enrich their work for improved health care services in their individual units and districts.
The meeting was attended by health workers and administrators from across the Busoga region, who later on develop strategies and action plans to address the region’s healthcare challenges.
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