ChildFund partners with Makerere University to bolster research in key public health areas

February 15, 2023

From left to right: Dr. Roy William Mayega, Cissy Namanda, James Muhumuza Charles Luwagga, Prof Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye, Martin Odipo, Moses Otai Claire Biribawa, shortly after a luncheon meeting at Sheraton Hotel.

ChildFund and Makerere University School of Public Health (MaKSPH) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see them collaborate in priority public health areas.

These include; joint research projects in communicable and non-communicable diseases and health systems strengthening.

The collaboration will also enable MakSPH support ChildFund in public health emergencies, water and sanitation as well as building capacity in research methods, data analysis and health informatics.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world, as well as major social, educational and economic disruptions. This is because little was known about the disease.

But also, Uganda is currently grappling with several communicable diseases such as Malaria, Tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases like Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cancer among others.

For instance, it is estimated that the burden of cancers in Uganda will increase by 40 percent in 2030 due to changes in risk factors and population growth, according to researchers at the Uganda Cancer Institute.

Nearly, 5000 children develop cancer in Uganda annually. However only 20 percent are diagnosed or get treatment, leaving the bulk of cases largely within communities.

Malaria also remains endemic in Uganda. Statistics from the Health Ministry indicate that of the 11.25 million patients who had visited outpatient departments since January 2022, roughly 3.15 million had Malaria. A total of 775,000 Malaria cases were children under the age of five.

The mosquito-transmitted disease remains a serious health problem that continues to stagnate social and economic growth in Uganda.

“It is against this background that deliberate efforts have to be made to ensure that the research we come up with speaks to scaling down the disease burden in our country,” said Otai.

We want to deliver programmes through evidence and to build our technical capacity that is necessary for community outreach,” said Otai, during the luncheon meeting.

Otai who was speaking during a luncheon meeting at Sheraton Hotel explained that ChildFund’s collaboration with MakSPH will also bolster joint efforts for resource mobilization and intervention implementation to address identified community needs.

Prof Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye, who represented MakSPH at the meeting said they will improve the capacity of ChildFund in the areas of research, data analysis and grant writing. “The partnership also provides a cutting edge for both organizations to win grants in specific areas of research.”

Tumwesigye represented the team from the Makerere University School of Public Health.

Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) is one of the four Schools under the Makerere University College of Health Sciences, a constituent College of Makerere University. Established in 1922, Makerere University is one of the oldest Universities in Africa and is currently ranked the 2nd best in research in Africa. It was the first university in East Africa to offer degrees in public health and it remains the leading School of Public Health in the region.

MakSPH conducts research and provides consultation services to the Government of Uganda and various national and international health organizations as well as bilateral and multilateral agencies involved in health.