General
IDI Holds Lab Open Day
On Thursday 13th February, 2020. the Core Lab under the Laboratory Programme at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) in Mulago hosted a tour around its facilities in a bid to present its achievements. The tour also presented an opportunity to create awareness of the services offered there and their contribution towards patient safety through quality laboratory service delivery.
The event opened with annotations from key stakeholders including the Dr. Isaac Ssewanyana, Director of the Uganda National Health Laboratory, who spoke on behalf of Dr. Susan Nabadda, the Commissioner, Uganda National Laboratory Services (UNLS). His remarks were followed by a tour and a myriad of highlights in the lab, including sixteen successive years of College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation. The visitors were invited to view a vast array of state-of-the-art lab technology including Unique Liquid Mass Spectrometer, the first of its kind in East and Central Africa.
Dr. Andrew Kambugu, the Sande McKinnell, Executive Director of IDI commended the lab for the high standards maintained since inception in 2003. He said the lab was open for routine tests-use in clinical management in addition to research tests.
“This laboratory is a great step towards Uganda’s journey in the health sector; a step that can prove that Uganda can develop and deliver internationally competent services,” he added.
Tea-time involved interactions, comments, and appreciations from the guests. Prof. Charles George Okiria, the Chairperson Allied Health Professionals Council Uganda noted that as a council, they are proud to be associated with the Infectious Diseases Institute. He acknowledged the lab for rising above the standards of the regular yardsticks used to assess laboratories.
Simon Peter Rugera, Head of the Medical Laboratory Science Department at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) said he was very happy about the work that was being done at IDI and requested for it to be extended to MUST through Masters student trainings.
Dr. Rohan Nzije advised that IDI continue to build capacity of laboratory technicians, but consider bringing on board clinicians and medical personnel, who are going to use the lab services on a regular basis.
Article by IDI Communications Office
Makerere University has received 700 digital tablets from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), aimed at enhancing statistical research, teaching, and data-driven decision-making across the institution.
The donation was made on June 30, 2025, as part of UBOS’ broader initiative to distribute a total of 3,025 tablets to ten government-funded institutions of higher learning. The handover ceremony was attended by Makerere’s Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and Mr. Simon Kizito, the Deputy University Secretary among other Vice Chancellors and accounting officers.
Dr. Allen Kabagenyi, a UBOS Board Director, who coordinated the distribution of the tablets to the respective 10 Public universities, underscored the significance of inter-institutional collaboration in fostering a data-literate and innovative generation. “This initiative is a testament to the power of partnerships between public institutions. In a country like Uganda, with one of the youngest populations globally, equipping our future leaders with the right tools is critical to achieving both national and global development goals,” she remarked.
The tablets had initially been procured and deployed during the recently concluded National Population and Housing Census. UBOS Executive Director Dr. Chris Mukiza explained that their redistribution marks the beginning of the Bureau’s post-census utilization strategy.
“We acquired 120,000 tablets to conduct the census, and as we committed earlier, we are ensuring that these resources continue to serve the country even after the census,” said Dr. Mukiza. “Our expectation is that these tablets will strengthen data collection, teaching, and research in universities and higher institutions. We want to see a culture where statistics are not only produced but also actively used to influence development outcomes.”
Dr. Mukiza encouraged academic institutions to take full advantage of the extensive data available at UBOS, emphasizing that greater use of statistical resources will translate into more impactful research and policy interventions.
During the same event – cultural institutions also received tablets.
With this donation, Makerere University is well-positioned to further empower students and researchers in statistical analysis, evidence-based planning, and innovation-driven teaching.
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