RD Congo – Haut-Katanga, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba et Tanganyika : Note d’informations humanitaires du 24 janvier 2019 (24.01.2019)

Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate – An Open Call for Ugent Action: Save Sudanese Doctors and detainees (12.01.2019)

Uganda: Ministry of Health – Press Release – Cholera Outbreak in Kampala (11.01.2019)

Zimbabwe: Collective Bargaining Agreement 1 of 2019 Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel 05 January 2019 (05.01.2019)

WHO Director-General applauds Uganda’s Ebola preparedness response (03.01.2019)

Kampala 3 January 2019:- The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO DG), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has lauded Uganda for the Ebola preparedness response mounted, so far, in the high-risk districts of the country.

Dr Tedros said that Uganda’s disease outbreak response system is recognized globally for its effectiveness. He commended the government for the support rendered during the ongoing vaccination exercising, saying, “The vaccination exercise will go a long way in saving the lives of frontline health workers and health care workers and we are really grateful for the government’s commitment and support.”

He made these remarks at a meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister where he met key government dignitaries including; the Prime Minister- Right Honourable Dr Ruhakana Rugunda; Minister of Foreign Affairs- Hon Sam Kuteesa; Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs- Hon Bright Rwamirama; Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary-Dr Diana Atwiine and other government officials.

He highlighted the appreciation by Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of Uganda for the support in the ongoing outbreak response especially regarding capacity building in Infection Prevention and Control and cross-border screening and surveillance.

Dr Tedros emphasized the need to amplify Primary Health Care (PHC) in Uganda in order to prevent diseases among the population. He added that health promotion and prevention of communicable and Non-communicable disease are key to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The Prime Minister of Uganda, Right Honorable Dr Ruhakana Rugunda appreciated WHO’s endless support to Uganda, saying, “Whatever Uganda has managed to achieve in public health is because of the general leadership of WHO.”

He noted, with concern, the ongoing Ebola outbreak in DRC, and commended WHO and partners in the response for braving the harsh conditions to save lives. “Your hard work and sacrifice do not go unnoticed”, he said.

Dr Ruhakana also highlighted the importance of PHC to Uganda. “We have no choice but to support PHC. It is the key to tackling many of the afflictions we are getting”, he said. He committed the government to achieve UHC in Uganda.

In the wake of the Ebola outbreak that is affecting the Eastern part of DRC close to the Uganda-DRC border, Uganda is implementing a series of activities to ensure that the country is protected from the Ebola outbreak or able to control the outbreak in case of a confirmed case in Uganda. These include vaccination of frontline health workers, screening of travellers at the points of entry, risk communication and community engagement, enhanced surveillance including community-based disease surveillance and cross-border surveillance. Other activities include the collection and testing of blood samples from alert cases, capacity building for case management, psycho-social care and capacity building for safe and dignified burials.

The meeting was attended by government officials, the media and officials from WHO headquarters and WHO Uganda country office.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association: Press Release (01.01.2019)

Zimbabwe: Press Statement by the Ministry of Health and Child Care on the Discovery of a Cure for HIV and AIDS (29.10.2018)

A new Presidential Initiative: With what budget and other plan than the launch?

We know that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his State House has a free budget, where he can spend the funds as he likes. Because he got in the votes before the 2018/19 on the part of the: “11 Logistical and Administrative – Support to the Presidency” and the parts of “06 Presidential Initiatives”. That is why yesterday is special, when we know that he got 9.957 billion shillings for this budget year alone. While the Ministerial Policy Statement for this budget year wasn’t specific where these funds are going. That is why, what was launched yesterday, might be part of that, but who knows, right?

New launched initiative:

President Yoweri Museveni launched a new Presidential Fast-Tracking Initiative on the Elimination of HIV/AIDS that targets total elimination of the scourge from the Uganda by 2030. He used the occasion to remind Ugandans in general and those devoted to the fight against the scourge that the struggle to eliminate HIV/AIDS from our society should focus more on preventive measures because the pandemic is avoidable. Speaking during the launch of the initiative at Isingiro District headquarters in Isingiro Town Council, the President said that because AIDS has no known cure to-date, Ugandans need to focus on how to avoid contracting the virus which, he said, is the only sure way the virus can be eliminated from the Ugandan society. The ceremony attracted representatives from 28 districts if South Western Uganda” (National Resistance Movement, 20.10.2018).

This proves that some of the money goes somewhere. However, in the statement from the President and the NRM. There are no statements on how much is spent on the initiative, how many who will work with it or even the organization behind it. The President has budgeted funds fro the Presidential Initiatives, however, there are no allocations to where that goes. Especially not in the Ministerial Policy Statement and in the documents proving the voting.

It would have been good knowing to what extent this is or if its just a public stunt? Because it is noble fight to eliminate HIV/AIDS. We should still wonder where and how the funding for this are. Since it is public spending and supposed to do something. If it is printing pamphlets, posters and TV-ads. We don’t know, if this is a public campaign or something to inform the Ministry of Health and ensure less people get the HIV/AIDS. Who knows right?

That is what we should wonder about and how the monies is spent. It is a good idea, but good to know the reality of the initiative itself. Peace.

World Health Organization calls crisis meeting over deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo (16.10.2018)

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called an Emergency Committee meeting on the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has already claimed around 130 lives.

GENEVA, Switzerland, October 16, 2018 – The WHO has assessed the national and regional risk of the current Ebola outbreak in DRC as “very high,” although the global risk remains low and, so far, the UN’s health watchdog has not called for any trade or travel restrictions to be imposed.

The Emergency Committee, scheduled for Wednesday at WHO headquarters in Geneva, will decide whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, and what recommendations should be made to manage the spread of the disease.

This outbreak, the tenth to hit the DRC over the last four decades, was declared in North Kivu Province on 1 August, this year and, based on the worsening security situation in and around the city of Beni, WHO elevated the risk from “high” to “very high” on 28 September.

The agency identified 39 new confirmed cases were reported between 1 and 11 October, 32 of which are from Beni.

The DRC Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners have been responding to the outbreak with teams on the ground, but WHO has warned that continuing insecurity severely affects both civilians and frontline workers, forcing the suspension of the response for several days in late September, and raising the risk that the virus will continue to spread.

More than 20 civilians in Beni were killed in the incident that provoked the suspension, which came on the heels of multiple attacks in previous weeks. It’s estimated by the UN that more than a million civilians under threat from armed groups, are internally-displaced in North Kivu; around 500,000 this year alone. The eastern region is close to the border with Uganda, and Rwanda.

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that one month after the beginning of the school year, 80 per cent of school-aged children have returned to school in Beni and Mabalako health zones, the two epicentres of the Ebola outbreak.  UNICEF has identified more than 1,500 schools in the areas affected by the epidemic.

RDC: Message de Son Excellence Monsieur le Ministre de la Sante suite aux Incidents survenus dans la ville de Beni ce samedi 22 septembre 2018 (24.09.2018)