General
Mak shines at 2nd International Symposium on Community Health Workers in Bangladesh
The Second International Symposium on Community Health Workers (CHWs) was recently held from 22nd to 24th November 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This symposium, organised by icddr,b, (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) was attended by over 500 delegates including researchers, policy makers, funders, implementers, health practitioners, academics and CHWs from 35 countries.
At the symposium, Makerere University was recognised for organising and hosting the first symposium in Kampala in 2017 under the School of Public Health in partnership with Nottingham Trent University (UK) and the Ministry of Health. The first symposium, which led to these events being held globally every 2 years, was attended by over 450 participants from 22 countries. Indeed, it was due to the success of the first symposium that the CHWs Thematic Working Group (TWG) of Health Systems Global (HSG) formally institutionalised these biennial events.
Officiating at the opening ceremony of the symposium, Dr. David Musoke, a Lecturer in the Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health at the School of Public Health, and also Co-Chair of the CHWs Thematic Working Group of Health Systems Global, said he was pleased that the efforts of Makerere in conceptualising and organising the maiden symposium had made a significant contribution to the work of CHWs globally. He added that this cadre of human resources for health is crucial in primary health care and public health particularly in low- and middle-income countries hence deserve to be recognised and supported better for the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
Other staff of Makerere University in attendance were Prof. Elizeus Rutebemberwa and Richard Ssempala who all made oral presentations further showcasing outputs from Uganda. The third symposium will be held in 2021, and many countries have expressed interest in hosting it, following in the footsteps of Uganda and Bangladesh.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe on 20th April 2026 inaugurated the Second Makerere University Health User Committee (Mak-HUC). The Committee was established by the Vice Chancellor in 2022 as part of his strategic mandate to strengthen and oversee the University Hospital services delivery.
Chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Mak-HUC has as its members; Prof. Josaphat K. Byamugisha-Director Makerere University Health Services (MakHS) and Dr. Daniel Ronald Ruhweza-Department of Law and Jurisprudence, School of Law.
Other members include; Dr. Arthur Kwizera-Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, College of Health Sciences (CHS) and Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) Representative, Dr. Lillian Tukahirwa-Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (MASA) Representative, Mr. Godfrey Othieno- National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) Representative, and as Secretariat, Ms. Kevin M. Nabiryo-Directorate of Human Resources.
The 2nd Mak-HUC has been appointed for a period of four years effective 1st January 2026 with a mandate to: Guide, monitor and oversee delivery of health services by MakHS; Represent the interests and concerns of staff and students that use MakHS; Advise on alignment with sustainable health financing and insurance models; Strengthen systems for fraud prevention, digital transformation and access to specialized treatment, among other responsibilities.
The 1st Mak-HUC was chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi and had as members; Prof. Josaphat Byamugisha, Dr. Fred Mayambala, Dr. Zahara Nampewo, Mr. Othieno Godfrey, Mr. Apunyo Paul Okiria and Ms. Ikiriza Racheal. Milestones during the first era included; Outpatient Department visits growth from 4,802 (2022) to 7,388 (Nov 2025) for staff and 14,641 (2022) to 19,069 (Nov 2025) for students.
Others milestones included; Commissioning of a fully equipped Operating Theatre, Establishment of a modern Imaging Hub, Development of a fully functional Audiology Unit, Expansion of the Temporal Bone Laboratory, Launch of the Olink Proteomics Platform and Enhancement of the Dental Unit with 32 dental chairs and experienced personnel.
Related article: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2025/12/three-years-of-impact-makerere-university-health-user-committee-presents-status-report/
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