Connect with us

Health

NCDs Symposium 2023: Stakeholders Pledge to Work together to Address growing burden in Uganda & Beyond

Published

on

Stakeholders pledged to work together to address the growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Uganda and beyond. The pledge was made at the NCDs Symposium held on Saturday 4th March 2023 and hosted by Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), as a member of the Alliance of Research Universities in Africa (ARUA) NCD Centre of Excellence. The theme of the symposium was ‘Advances in NCD Training, Research and Community Impact’.

Research shows that, globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for a significant proportion of deaths, with 41 million people dying from these chronic diseases each year. NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors. The main types of NCD are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.

NCDs disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries, where more than three-quarters of global NCD deaths (31.4 million) occur. In Uganda, the number of people living with NCDs has been increasing dramatically, making NCDs a major public health threat. For instance, 74,354 new cases of diabetes were seen at health facilities in Uganda in 2009-10 compared to 58,523 five years earlier showing an increase of 27% (HMIS data 2009/10). In 2013, the Uganda Diabetes Association revealed that over 200,000 children had diabetes and expressed fears the number could be higher because many of the children do not report to the hospital for diagnosis.

Professor Damalie Nakanjako, Principal - MakCHS giving welcome remarks.
Professor Damalie Nakanjako, Principal – MakCHS giving welcome remarks.

In her remarks as host, Professor Damalie Nakanjako, The Principal College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, in a special way welcomed participants to the Symposium and noted that the purpose of the event was to showcase the latest advances in NCD training, research, and community impact, and to provide a platform for stakeholders to engage and collaborate on issues related to NCDs.

Citing WHO data, Professor Nakanjako noted that NCDs represent the largest cause of mortality in adults with 86% of these premature deaths occurring in middle-income countries such as Uganda. She further pointed out that the incidence of NCDs among children, particularly diabetes, is increasing, indicating the urgent need for attention.

Professor Nakanjako stressed the importance of data-driven interventions, knowledge translation, and a multi-sectoral approach in addressing NCDs, and called for more investment in NCD research, collaborations, and regular exercise among children. She also reiterated Makerere University’s commitment to addressing NCDs through continuous advances in NCD training, research, and community engagement.

WHO Key Facts On Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

  • Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 74% of all deaths globally.
  • Each year, 17 million people die from a NCD before age 70; 86% of these premature deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Of all NCD deaths, 77% are in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Cardiovascular diseases account for most NCD deaths, or 17.9 million people annually, followed by cancers (9.3 million), chronic respiratory diseases (4.1 million), and diabetes (2.0 million including kidney disease deaths caused by diabetes).
  • These four groups of diseases account for over 80% of all premature NCD deaths.
  • Tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets all increase the risk of dying from an NCD.
  • Detection, screening and treatment of NCDs, as well as palliative care, are key components of the response to NCDs.

During his speech, Dr. Fred Bukachi, the Director of ARUA Centre of Excellence for NCDs, highlighted the urgent need to address the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the region and beyond through research, capacity building, and dissemination of findings. The Centre’s main objective is to develop scientific evidence for NCD policies, prevention, management, and control, while engaging with communities. To achieve this, Dr. Bukachi presented several strategies, including the creation of multi-disciplinary research programs, a training research and mobility program, an NCD research and data repository for Africa, and an annual international NCD symposium.

In addition, Dr. Bukachi emphasized the Centre’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of people in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond by addressing the NCD epidemic through research and capacity building. The audience responded positively to his presentation, with many impressed by the Centre’s ambitious goals and plans for tackling NCDs in Africa.

Dr. Fred Bukachi at the symposium.
Dr. Fred Bukachi at the symposium.

In his remarks, read by Dr. Frank Mugabe, Dr. Oyoo Charles Akiya, the Commissioner of Health Services-NCD Ministry of Health, stated that non-communicable diseases and injuries (NCDIs) are on the rise in Uganda. He revealed that the burden of NCDs has more than doubled in the last 20 years, with 22% of adults at risk of premature death (30-70 years) as of 2016. NCDs account for 41% of all deaths in the country.

Dr. Akiya cited the NCD risk factor survey and other studies, highlighting heavy alcohol consumption in men and women, consumption of unhealthy diets, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and obesity as some of the problems that need urgent attention. Data on high burden NCD conditions reveal that 24% of adults in Uganda suffer from hypertension requiring treatment, with only 24.3% accessing treatment. The prevalence of diabetes is estimated at 1.4%, and there is a high prevalence of sickle cell disease in the central, eastern, and northern parts of the country, with 1.3% of the population having the trait.

Mental health disorders, especially depression, are also prevalent, with over one million Ugandans experiencing depression.

On government efforts towards NCDS, Akiya revealed that Uganda is conducting the 2nd risk factor survey thanks to the World Health Organization and the School of Public Health.

Moving forward, Dr. Akiya proposed priority areas for research and training ; including the need to quantify the level of misinformation around diabetes treatment, implement preventive programs for known carrier communities of sickle cell disease, determine the cause and risk factors for increased cases of gastrointestinal cancer in Southwestern Uganda, understand the biomass gap and its correlation to chronic respiratory diseases, determine the gap in mental health service provision among general health workers, reduce the cost of kidney chronic disease transplant services, increase awareness of cardiovascular disease screening, and determine and document the cost of road traffic-associated injuries to the health sector and the country to halt these conditions.

Dr. Frank Mugabe read out the remarks by Dr. Oyoo Charles Akiya, the Commissioner of Health Services-NCD Ministry of Health.
Dr. Frank Mugabe read out the remarks by Dr. Oyoo Charles Akiya, the Commissioner of Health Services-NCD Ministry of Health.

In his remarks as Chief Guest, Professor Umar Kakumba, on behalf of Makerere University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, commended academia for their role in addressing emerging health threats, adding that Makerere University, as a research-led institution, is committed to supporting NCD activities through training, research, and community engagement. He emphasized that beyond training and research, there is a need to go to communities and share knowledge, as there is a gap in knowledge uptake around NCDs.

Professor Kakumba also highlighted the role of the private sector in supporting these causes, as a healthy population is key to their business success. He thanked Arua partners for taking the lead in addressing NCDs, which are responsible for 71% of global deaths and 85% of premature deaths in low and middle-income countries, including Uganda.

Moving forward, Professor Kakumba proposed a collaborative effort among stakeholders to address NCDs comprehensively. He emphasized the need for a holistic approach that involves the government, private sector, civil society organizations, and academia to address the growing burden of NCDs in Uganda.

He reiterated the commitment of Makerere University in supporting NCD activities through research, training, and community engagement, and he called on other institutions to join in this effort to achieve a healthier population and a more prosperous country.

Professor Umar Kakumba giving his remarks as Chief Guest at the symposium.
Professor Umar Kakumba giving his remarks as Chief Guest at the symposium.

In her remarks, Dr. Kasule  Hasifa discussed the priority areas for research and training in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) identified by the World Health Organization (WHO), including the need to prevent and control NCDs through public health interventions and policies, address the social determinants of NCDs such as poverty and education, improve healthcare accessibility and quality particularly in low- and middle-income countries, strengthen health systems to better respond to the growing burden of NCDs, and promote research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of NCDs.

Dr. Hasifa Kasule from WHO highlighting global priority areas for research and training around NCDs.
Dr. Hasifa Kasule from WHO highlighting global priority areas for research and training around NCDs.

The event featured presentations from several NCD groups at MakCHS, including Cardiovascular Diseases, Renal Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus & Other Endocrine Disorders, Cancers, Mental Health Disorders, Respiratory Diseases and Lung Health, Sickle Cell Disease, and Other Haematological Conditions, as well as Interactions between NCDS and Infectious Diseases.

The symposium was attended by researchers, students, academicians, policymakers, practitioners, and health advocates with a special interest in NCDs. The day was crowned off with cake-cutting and all participants pledging to work together in addressing NCDs.

Professor Damalie Nakanjako (2nd right), Dr. Besigye Innocent (3rd right) and Dr. Fred Bukachi (1st right) cutting cake with other key stakeholders at the symposium.
Professor Damalie Nakanjako (2nd right), Dr. Besigye Innocent (3rd right) and Dr. Fred Bukachi (1st right) cutting cake with other key stakeholders at the symposium.

At the symposium, stakeholders agreed that it is crucial to work collaboratively to comprehensively address the growing burden of NCDs in Uganda. They recognized the need to implement preventive programs, increase awareness of cardiovascular disease screening, improve healthcare accessibility and quality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and promote research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of NCDs. It was emphasized that a holistic approach involving the government, private sector, civil society organizations, and academia is necessary to achieve a healthier population and a more prosperous country.

View on MakCHS

Mak Editor

Health

TWAS recognises Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza for her research

Published

on

Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza, Associate Professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health receives her award.

Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza, Associate Professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) received the 2025 TWAS-Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi Award in Medical Sciences. She was recognised for her research on neurodevelopmental disorders – particularly epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and nodding syndrome – and for advancing policy and research, mentorship, as well as local community interventions to enhance children’s health.

The award was given at the recent 17th General Conference of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under the theme ‘Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation for Global Development.’ Organized in partnership with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and TWAS, the conference brought together leading scientists, policymakers, and institutional leaders from across the global South and beyond.

In her remarks after receiving the award, Dr. Kakooza said, “This award highlights the importance of neurodevelopmental disorders which are a great health problem worldwide, often diagnosed late and treated poorly,” said Kakooza. “It affirms my contribution to science in Africa, strengthens advocacy for gender equity in science and education and makes me a role model for others, increasing my influence in the scientific community.”

Associate Professor Angelina Mwesige Kakooza.
Associate Professor Angelina Mwesige Kakooza.

Dr. Angelina Kakooza Mwesige is a Ugandan scholar with over 25years teaching experience whose research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders in children centred on their epidemiology, early screening, identification and community based interventions in Uganda. Her current areas of research cover studies on early detection and interventions for young infants at high risk of neurodevelopmental delay and disability in Nepal and Uganda; development of community engagement projects to empower adolescents living with epilepsy in Uganda reduce stigma in their communities; as well as development and testing of an interactive epilepsy smart phone application to improve resilience among them.

TWAS is a global merit-based science academy based in Trieste, Italy, and administered as a UNESCO Programme Unit. Read more here: https://twas.org/

View on CHS

Zaam Ssali

Continue Reading

Health

Refugee Health Journalism as Empowerment: Why Accuracy, Dignity & Context Matter

Published

on

Participants in the Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting that brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts at MakSPH on 3rd October 2025. Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting that brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 3rd October 2025.

In July this year, I joined a study tour to Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s West Nile region under the RISK-WASH Project, led by Dr. Richard Mugambe. Established in 2017 in what is now Terego District, Imvepi is one of several settlements created to host people fleeing conflict in neighbouring South Sudan. Now home to more than 60,000 refugees, it reflects Uganda’s progressive refugee policy, anchored in the 2006 Refugee Act, which promotes the integration of displaced families within host communities, allocates land for livelihoods, and ensures access to national services. It remains a model both commendable and instructive for the region.

With nearly two million refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom are women and children, Uganda stands among the world’s leading examples of inclusive, community-based refugee protection. The RISK-WASH Project, implemented by the Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in collaboration with IHE-Delft, BRAC, and icddr,b, with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised the three-day visit. The project builds evidence for better Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) decision-making in humanitarian settings, developing practical tools to assess how exposure to unsafe water, poor sanitation, and environmental hazards affects the health of both displaced and host populations.

The RISK-WASH Project team, together with officials from the Uganda Red Cross Society, meet the Imvepi Refugee Settlement Commandant during a field visit in July 2025. Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting that brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 3rd October 2025.
The RISK-WASH Project team, together with officials from the Uganda Red Cross Society, meet the Imvepi Refugee Settlement Commandant during a field visit in July 2025.

In Imvepi, that evidence takes human form. Water points run dry under intense demand or drought; latrines overflow during rains; fragile health systems strain to contain preventable diseases that flourish in such conditions. One nurse may attend to hundreds of patients in a single day, treating malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhoeal diseases directly linked to inadequate WASH infrastructure. The images linger long after one leaves, especially when reflecting on the media’s role in shaping refugee narratives. What struck me most was how such realities are often reduced to statistics or fleeting headlines that reveal little about the lives behind them. I left Imvepi convinced that we, in the media, must not only report but listen differently.

When we cover refugees, we often begin with numbers. Yet behind every statistic is a heartbeat and a history the news cycle rarely pauses to hear. Refugee health, perhaps the most human measure of displacement, is still too often framed as a crisis rather than a continuum of resilience, policy, and rights. The World Health Organisation’s World Reports on the Health of Refugees and Migrants reminds us that refugees frequently experience poorer health outcomes than host populations, not because they are inherently vulnerable, but because access to care is often obstructed by law, language, and logistics. Health, like truth, then, becomes interestingly dependent on who is allowed to speak and who is heard.

Floods in Adjumani refugee settlement left shelters destroyed and water sources contaminated, heightening the risk of disease outbreaks and exposing the fragile health conditions faced by displaced families. Photo taken in 2024 during a MakSPH study on refugee health and climate change. Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting that brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 3rd October 2025.
Floods in Adjumani refugee settlement left shelters destroyed and water sources contaminated, heightening the risk of disease outbreaks and exposing the fragile health conditions faced by displaced families. Photo taken in 2024 during a MakSPH study on refugee health and climate change.

It was in this spirit that, on October 3, 2025, we convened the Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting at MakSPH. The one-day seminar brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts. Our goal was not to add another humanitarian angle to the news but to rethink how the media can report with depth, ethics, and empathy. Working with partners such as Africa Humanitarian Action, Emesco Development Foundation, and Farmamundi, we explored the subtle power the media wields to either dignify or diminish, to clarify or distort, the lived realities of refugees, particularly in the realm of health.

During my session, Refugee Health Reporting as Empowerment: Negotiating Accuracy, Dignity, and Context,” I invited participants to view journalism through the lens of Paulo Freire, the celebrated Brazilian transformative educator who wrote the Pedagogy of the Oppressed while in exile in 1970. Through his influential work, Freire argued that oppression persists when those in power control language and narrative, when others are spoken for rather than heard. Liberation begins, he said, when people “name their world.” That principle remains profoundly relevant to our craft as journalism and communications practitioners. Refugees must not remain objects of our storytelling; they are its subjects. Journalism, in its truest public function, becomes liberating only when it is dialogic, when we report with people, not merely about them.

I led a session titled “Refugee Health Reporting as Empowerment: Negotiating Accuracy, Dignity, and Context” on October 3, 2025, framing it around Paulo Freire’s pedagogical philosophy of liberation through dialogue and critical reflection. Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting that brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 3rd October 2025.
I led a session titled “Refugee Health Reporting as Empowerment: Negotiating Accuracy, Dignity, and Context” on October 3, 2025, framing it around Paulo Freire’s pedagogical philosophy of liberation through dialogue and critical reflection.

This transformation begins with accuracy. In Uganda, refugees share the same health system as host communities, one already strained by staff shortages, drug stock-outs, and donor fatigue. Yet many stories stop at official statements or NGO press releases. Limited access, shrinking newsroom budgets, and bureaucratic gatekeeping tempt journalists to rely on polished humanitarian narratives. But when we do, we risk becoming megaphones for the powerful. Accuracy demands courage, the willingness to verify, to cross-check, and to step beyond curated camp tours. In refugee reporting, truth is not just a professional standard; it is an act of respect.

Still, truth without dignity can harm. Too often, images of refugees serve as shorthand for despair—dust, hunger, tents. Such imagery may evoke sympathy, but it often strips away humanity. From practice, I have seen journalists lower their lenses before asking names. I have also seen how a small shift in approach, say seeking consent, giving space, and listening before photographing, can restore dignity to both subject and story. Words matter too. Calling someone an “illegal immigrant” or describing an “influx” of refugees turns people into problems. Language should humanise, not flatten. To describe refugees as mothers, health workers, or students is to reassert their agency and affirm our shared humanity, something Freire would have deeply valued today.

Media trainer Mr. Wilson Akiiki Kaija facilitates a session on “Centring Humanity” during the Refugee Health and Migration Reporting Workshop at MakSPH, underscoring the media’s role in advancing accuracy, dignity, and context in refugee reporting. October 3, 2025. Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting that brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 3rd October 2025.
Media trainer Mr. Wilson Akiiki Kaija facilitates a session on “Centring Humanity” during the Refugee Health and Migration Reporting Workshop at MakSPH, underscoring the media’s role in advancing accuracy, dignity, and context in refugee reporting. October 3, 2025.

And no story exists in isolation. Every health headline in a settlement echoes across systems of policy, climate, economics, and gender. A cholera outbreak in Kyangwali is not merely a medical event or isolated incident; it may be showing broken sanitation infrastructure and the politics of aid, which may result in a national disease outbreak. Context is the soul of credibility. Without it, even accurate stories can mislead. In Imvepi, I saw first-hand that refugees’ health challenges are inseparable from Uganda’s own development journey, from how budgets are made to how global partners value African hospitality. The more connections we draw, the closer we come to the truth.

By the close of the workshop, it was evident that empowerment in journalism is not a slogan but a discipline. It demands patience, humility, and persistence. It calls for the co-production of stories, revisiting them, verifying them, and allowing refugees to narrate their realities. It also calls on institutions to invest and fund field reporting, train correspondents in trauma-sensitive and peace journalism, and protect journalists pursuing uncomfortable truths. Without such support, even good intentions dissolve into soundbites.

I often return to Freire’s words of wisdom: To speak a true word is to transform the world. This means that words are not just passive descriptions but powerful tools for action and social change, especially when they are paired with critical reflection and a commitment to praxis (work and action). Refugee health journalism, at its best, is precisely that kind of speech: accurate, dignified, and deeply contextual. It is not merely charity reporting; it is solidarity reporting. For anyone, given the wrong circumstances, can become a refugee. And solidarity, unlike sympathy, does not look down; it stands beside. When we write from that conviction, our stories do more than inform. They humanise, connect, and remind us that telling the truth well is, in itself, an act of justice.

From right: Africa Humanitarian Action’s Mr. Yakobo Kaheesi and Emesco Development Foundation’s Mr. Patrick Ssentalo join facilitators and organisers Mr. Wilson Akiiki Kaija and Mr. Davidson Ndyabahika in awarding certificates to media participants after the successful training on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting on October 3, 2025. Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting that brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 3rd October 2025.
From right: Africa Humanitarian Action’s Mr. Yakobo Kaheesi and Emesco Development Foundation’s Mr. Patrick Ssentalo join facilitators and organisers Mr. Wilson Akiiki Kaija and Mr. Davidson Ndyabahika in awarding certificates to media participants after the successful training on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting on October 3, 2025.

View on MakSPH

John Okeya

Continue Reading

Health

Professor Nakimuli awarded at FIGO Congress for outstanding contribution to Women and Child Health

Published

on

Dr. Annettee Nakimuli, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Dean, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences. Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Dr. Annettee Nakimuli, an Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Dean – School of Medicine at Makerere University College of Health Sciences was awarded by the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) for her outstanding contribution to improving the health of Women and children as a researcher and practitioner.

She received the award on the 6th Oct 2025 at the FIGO General Assembly/FIGO Congress that is ongoing in Cape Town, South Africa.

Professor Nakimuli is a leading maternal health researcher focused primarily on investigating the aetiology, treatment, prevention and long term outcomes of pregnancy complications among women in Sub-Saharan Africa. She is committed to building maternal and new-born research capacity in Africa and her aim is, with East African and International colleagues, to establish a multidisciplinary centre for African maternal and neonatal health research located at Makerere University in Uganda.

View on CHS

Zaam Ssali

Continue Reading

Trending