Uganda National Institute of Public Health: Establishment and Experiences, 2013-2021

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Alex Riolexus Ario, Uganda National Institute of Public Health; Issa Makumbi, Uganda National Institute of Public Health; Daniel Kadobera, Uganda National Institute of Public Health; Lilian Bulage, Uganda National Institute of Public Health; Felix Ocom, Uganda National Institute of Public Health; Benon Kwesiga, Uganda National Institute of Public Health; Dennis F Jarvis, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; Sandra Nabatanzi, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda; Jaco Homsy, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda; Flora Banage, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda; Vance Brown, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda; Julie R Harris, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda; Amy L Boore, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda; Lisa J Nelson, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kampala, Uganda; Suzanne Binder, Emory University; Henry G Mwebesa, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.; Jane R Aceng, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-08-01
• Publisher: JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS-CCP
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Ario et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00784
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: GLOBAL HEALTH-SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 4
• Grant/Funding Information: Funding was provided by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement number GH001353-01 through Makerere University School of Public Health to the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Ministry of Health. Other sources of funding were Resolve to Save Lives and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Global Health Protection through the African Field Epidemiology Network; Baylor Uganda and Infectious Diseases Institute to the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre; and the National Health Laboratories.
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Uganda is an ecological hot spot with porous borders that lies in several infectious disease transmission belts, making it prone to disease outbreaks. To prepare and respond to these public health threats and emergencies in a coordinated manner, Uganda established the Uganda National Institute of Public Health (UNIPH) in 2013. Using a step-by-step process, Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MOH) crafted a strategy with a vision, mission, goal, and strategic objectives, and identified value additions and key enablers for success. A regulatory impact assessment was then conducted to inform the drafting of principles of the bill for legislation on the Institute. Despite not yet attaining legal status, the UNIPH has already achieved faster, smarter, and more efficient and effective prevention, detection, and response to public health emergencies. Successes include a more coordinated multisectoral, disciplined, and organized response to emergencies; appropriate, timely, and complete information receipt and sharing; a functional national lab sample and results transportation network that has enabled detection and confirmation of public health events within 48 hours of alert; appropriate response to a confirmed public health event in 24–48 hours; and real-time surveillance of endemic- and epidemic-prone diseases. In this article, we document success stories, lessons learned, and challenges encountered during the unique staged process used to develop the components of the UNIPH. The creation of an integrated disease control center has proven to yield better collaboration and synergies between different arms of epidemic preparedness and response.