By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa/Umoja Standard.
Kampala, Uganda: Speaking at the launch of Uganda Public health Fellowship Program – Laboratory Leadership Track , Uganda’s Minister for Primary Health Care, Hon. Margaret Muhanga reckoned on the importance Laboratory field has played in detecting and managing diseases in Uganda’s Health environment.
She stated that most of the cases from laboratories are really trusted just like for the case of DNA though some individuals are starting to misuse their service for their in-family matters.
“We have gotten a lot of epidemics and diseases due to our proximity to the Congo basin, we need to be prepared at all times for these outbreaks but we have also proved that we can really handle tough pandemics. We’ve proved this during Ebola which we handled in a short time that never happened anywhere in the world.” She said.
“This all comes to you to get the correct results, so, as laboratory specialists, ask people to test highly enough so that you can have diseases prevented.” She added.
Minister Muhanga (4th Left) and Prof. Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean School of Public Health (3rd Right) and other officials in a group photo after the Lauch of Uganda Public health Fellowship Program – Laboratory Leadership Track at Hotel African, Kampala on Tuesday. Photo by Davidson Ndyabahika/MakSPH.
The fellowship has a component of leadership to help laboratory technicians or specialists have efficiency in executing their duties.
On leadership, Minister Muhanga noted that, it is important for the country to start up the national meetings, which are managed by quality leaders like laboratory officers in attendance.
“We really need more passion for both of us so this program we are launching today is designed to channel skills and learning.” She emphasized.
“We are really grateful and we can only ask for more and quality assistance in this. We will take this opportunity to fund leadership of a kind of public health fellowship program for this great effort to help put in place such programs that we shall embark on to make a better work for us.” She committed.
The training programme is conducted by Makerere University Public health and Ministry of Health in partnership with U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S CDC) as an initiative to develop a next generation of Public Health Leadership for Uganda.
The event saw a group of the first cohort of the same programme, who are the pioneers graduate. These include Martha Nankya, Anthony Kiyimba, Priscilla Atim, Shem Mwebaza and Leah Naluwagga.
These carried out studies like Evaluation of turnaround time for yellow fever testing in Uganda from January 2022 to March 2023, Evaluation of HIV Early Infant Diagnosis and Viral Load logistics inventory management system in Uganda laboratory hubs, Strengthening HIV Test Kits inventory management at an HIV testing Laboratory, Kampala, 2023, Experiences and lessons in coordinating laboratory activities during disease outbreaks in Uganda and Fellowship achievement from a fellow’s point of view between January to July 2023, respectively.
Dr. Mwebesa, who is the Director General for Health Services, said laboratories that are conducting sensitive tests should be more responsible. He noted that some lab experts issue results negligently disregarding implications that these actions could have.
“As laboratory leaders, you need to know how to communicate results and the right channels to follow. In the DNA paternity tests, you don’t just carry out the tests and throw results to the complaining man and say that it is not your child. Dr. Mwebesa tasks the graduates.
The programme is under the Uganda National Institute of Public Health (UNIPH) and is supported by the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S CDC), the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH).
At the same event, Prof. Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, the Dean of Makerere University school of Public Health mentioned that it is so critical that the Ministry of Health gets people that are competent and can be able to deliver this surveillance On ground for this particular program.
“I do remember when we had the first meeting when we were discussing the public health fellowship program and we talked about all these charts including the laboratory, here was so much passion about getting the laboratory kicked into place and it’s second sighted a long time and we are excited that it has finally happened.” She highlighted.
She noted that, preparedness and resource is not complete until we have the lab, clinical care is not complete until we have the lab and certainly our leadership on the health sector is not complete until we have the lab at the table and in all the spaces where we make decisions.
“So I’m happy that this program has finally taken off and that we have a focus on the critical competences that are needed for us to be able to provide good leadership for this important sector. We need secondary questions, yes, and that has been the emphasis.” She said.
To Ms. Kim Lewis, the senior laboratory consultant representing the association of public health laboratories acknowledged that fellows have supported and enhanced the utilization of the National Laboratory Transport System for cycles of human and animal origin and expanding networks amongst animal, human, environmental and analytical laboratories.
She said, a competent team of skilled trainers and mentors are playing a critical role in the training and supporting of the fellows and to the overall success of this program.
According to Dr Alex Ario, the head of UNIPH, six master’s degree holders (three females and three males) have already enrolled as the next cohort for the fellowship in January.