With Malaria still a major public health concern in Uganda the public sector has been urged to join the fight against the disease.
Speaking at the meeting with Uganda Baati Limited offices, Kenneth Mugisha the Chairperson of Malaria Free Uganda said partnerships are essential in fighting malaria in Uganda because malaria is a complex disease that requires a multi-sectoral approach to address.
“No single organization or sector can tackle the challenge of malaria alone. It requires collaboration between different stakeholders, including the government, civil society organizations, private sector, and international partners to overcome this issue,” Mugisha added.
According to the 2021 World Health Report, Uganda contributed 5.4 percent of malaria cases, and 3.5 percent of deaths (caused by malaria) were registered in Africa, making it the third highest statistic in the continent with an estimated 95% of the population being at risk of the disease.
Malaria is on the other side the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the country, accounting for approximately 30% of all outpatient visits, 15% of hospital admissions, and up to 20% of all deaths, particularly among pregnant women and children under five years old.
Speaking during the meeting, George Arodi, the Business Head at Uganda Baati Limited applauded the Malaria Free Uganda team for their efforts aimed at ensuring Uganda is malaria-free by 2030.
“It is essential that we play our roles, as per our capacities, to ensure that the communities we serve are healthy and disease free. A healthy community makes for a good customer,” Arodi said.
“At Uganda Baati, we believe in teamwork as part of our core values, and as such, partnerships are essential in the fight against malaria in Uganda. They enable the different stakeholders to work together to achieve a common goal, which is to reduce the burden of malaria and improve the health and well- being of Ugandans.”
Partnerships have been hailed for leveraging the collective voice of different stakeholders to advocate for increased political and financial commitment to malaria prevention and control efforts. It is also a good way to pool financial and technical resources that can aid in the fight against malaria.
The Ugandan government partnered with international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to provide technical and financial support to malaria prevention and control programs.
Civil society organizations such as the Uganda Red Cross Society have also been instrumental in community engagement and advocacy efforts.
The Malaria Free Uganda was launched in September 2020 by the Health Minister, Dr. Jane
Ruth Aceng as a public-private partnership aimed at supporting the ministry’s National Malaria
Control Division by removing bottlenecks and resource gaps.