Uganda has joined other leaders in calling for reforms at the World Health Organisation and the broader United Nations system.
Uganda is part of the over 190 countries currently attending the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO). The Assembly is taking place in Geneva from 18–23 May amid major challenges to global health cooperation.
It comes a few weeks after the 158th session of the Executive Board considered the report by the Director‑General on reform of the global health architecture (GHA).
Presenting the country’s position, the Chairperson, Dr Henry Mwebesa, said the reforms must strike a balance, addressing challenges while preserving the WHO’s capacity to strengthen country-led operations and respond to countries’ needs.
Mwebesa, who is formerly the Director General of Health Services, said the COVID-19 pandemic revealed systemic vulnerabilities and proved that countries should work collectively, which is why Uganda is supporting a fair and legally binding pandemic agreement with equity as its cornerstone, including timely technological transfer.
Discussions around the Pandemic Agreement started in December 2021, when member states expressed the need for an international instrument to guide global collaboration in pandemic preparedness and response.
While this document has been drafted, one component regarding pathogen access and benefits sharing has been and remains contentious. At the opening of this year’s World Health Assembly on Monday, WHO officials revealed they still needed more to reach an agreement.
Mwebesa told global delegates that this Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing ( PABS) annex, which will govern how pathogens and medical products are shared during public health emergencies, as well as how countries will benefit as a result of pharmaceutical manufacturers accessing their information, needs to be finalized as soon as possible.
At the meeting, World Health Organisation Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made a presentation on global health crises and re-echoed why he had declared a public health emergency of international concern over an epidemic of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda on Sunday.
“This is the first time a Director-General has declared a PHEIC before convening an Emergency Committee. I did not do this lightly. I did it in accordance with Article 12 of the International Health Regulations, after consulting the Ministers of Health of both countries, and because I am deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”, he said on Tuesday before going ahead to reveal that while the number of Uganda’s confirmed cases are still two, the DRC has had 30 cases confirmed all from the North Eastern province of Ituri.
Dr Tedros further revealed that an American national has also been confirmed positive and has been transferred to Germany.
Meanwhile, in Uganda, Allan Kasujja, the Director of the Uganda Media Center, who has since been assigned the official spokesperson on all situation updates regarding the current outbreak, said the real story of Ebola is not in Uganda but in DRC and urged the public not to panic as all cases recorded in Uganda were imported, and there’s currently no local infection.
But, Tedros said this afternoon, several factors make them concerned about the potential for further spread and further deaths due to the current outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus that has no vaccines or therapeutics.
“ Beyond the confirmed cases, there are more than 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths. These numbers will change as field operations scale up, including strengthening surveillance, contact tracing, and laboratory testing. Second, cases have been reported in urban areas, including Kampala and the city of Goma in the DRC. Third, deaths have been reported among health workers, indicating healthcare-associated transmission. Fourth, there is significant population movement in the area”, he said.
However, as of Monday, Uganda had traced up to 127 contacts of the two imported cases; One being treated at the National isolation center in Mulago and another who has since succumbed to complications of the disease at Kibuli hospital in Kampala-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyati-mes@gmail.com
