Museveni scoops Africa's Health Laboratory champion’s award

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The African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) has recognized President Yoweri Museveni, as the ASLM Champion for improving Health Laboratory services in Africa.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Daina Atwine received the award on behalf of the President on Tuesday at the ongoing ASLM Special Convention on Diagnostics in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Ministry of Health Permamner Secretary Dr Daina Atwine receiving the award on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni at the ongoing ASLM Special Convention on Diagnostics in Abidjan Ivory Coast. (Photo by Agnes Kyotalengerire)

The Kampala delegation includes the Director General of Health Services Dr Henry Mwebesa and the Commissioner of Laboratory Services, Dr Susan Nabadda.

The convention theme is: “Transforming diagnostic systems in Africa: Harnessing innovation and quality assurance to elevate equity and excellence is a timely discussion for improving health outcomes on our continent and the world”.

While delivering his acceptance speech via Zoom, President Museveni said to combat diseases there is a need to invest in capacity for proper diagnosis.

He further noted that in the early 1980s, “the spread of the AIDS pandemic was aided by the lack of testing. HIV then spread like a wildfire undetected, because the capacity to carry out mass testing was limited. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the country was better equipped to combat its spread, because of rapid surveillance and testing measures. Through experience, we have learned that it is suicidal to rely on other people for medical supplies and research.”

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni addressing the audience via zoom at the Convention taking place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. (Photo by Agnes Kyotalengerire)

President Museveni urged the African states to support ASLM’s efforts to boost the manufacture of vaccines, medicines, laboratory logistics, etc. “This will not only increase our pandemic preparedness but also create jobs and incomes for our people,” he said.

Dr Daina Atwine said transforming diagnostic systems in Africa through harnessing innovation is a critical response to inadequate budgets and the challenge of human resources.

Atwine said navigating the diagnostic challenges through harnessing innovation and quality assurance requires investing in emerging technologies, continuous professional development for our laboratory scientists and technologists, increased investment in research and development, and collaboration.

‘Outstanding leadership and impeccable commitment’

Drawing from his bold vision, strong Pan-Africanism, the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, and the Global Agenda 2030, President Museveni has demonstrated outstanding leadership and impeccable commitment to improving health services generally and the laboratory sector specifically for Uganda and the entire continent.

Among his many lasting legacies, President Museveni was recognized for being at the forefront of initiating and growing the African Union CDC believing in African solutions for African problems.

The President has also been at the forefront of fighting epidemics in the country as the chairperson of the multi-sectoral national task force. For example, under his leadership, Uganda set a world record in containing the Ebola outbreak in the country in 69 days.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, President Museveni demonstrated exceptional leadership when he personally took charge of the national response to the pandemic. He demonstrated his trust in the centrality of the lab sector in pandemic surveillance and management. Uganda became one of the reference points for COVID-19 management on the continent and the Laboratory sector played an outstanding role.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, President Museveni had provided international leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. At a time when the science behind the scourge was still emerging; and while many leaders were procrastinating, President Museveni took a bold stand on the need to test, abstain, use condoms, and treatment for those infected. With testing at the centre of the strategy, Uganda reduced HIV prevalence from 18% of the general population to currently 5.7%. Currently has expanded testing to all health facilities, pioneered self-testing -testing and the country is now scaling up the production of RDTs for HIV/AIDS testing.

Based on the above support, Uganda was the first country to host the WHO TB Supra National Reference Laboratory (SRL) in upper Sub-Saharan Africa. Established in 2013, the TB SRL has supported over 21 countries across the continent to improve to effectively manage TB.

Under his leadership, Uganda has invested in building local capacity for the production of laboratory diagnostics, calibration, biosafety and biosecurity in addition to scaling up the training of bio-medical Engineers, laboratory technologists and laboratory scientists at all levels.

Under his guidance, Uganda has deployed its Laboratory sector to discover and contain pathogens of international public health concern like Zika, Ebola, COVID-19

Besides the outstanding achievements registered by the laboratory sector in Uganda, ASLM and AU CDC, have recognised the outstanding contribution of President Museveni to supporting the growth of the lab sector, pandemic preparedness and management across the continent.

North noting, Uganda was one of the few countries that deployed medical personnel to support Liberia to fight the worst Ebola outbreak. Currently, Uganda is supporting DRC Congo and Rwanda to contain the ongoing Marburg outbreak.

Uganda is hosting the Global Fund- ECSA HC International Laboratory Systems Strengthening (ILSS) Project supporting 23 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve their laboratory services.

In October this year, Uganda successfully hosted the Regional ECSA-HC Meeting for Ministers of Health and Laboratory Directors from East and Central Africa. This meeting came up with new initiatives for moving the Lab sector to the next level.

Uganda is currently the Chair for the Laboratory Directors in Africa – leveraging her resources and expertise to support lab advocacy across the continent.