Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown at 2022 Heroes in Health Awards
Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, Uganda | November 25, 2022

(As ready for supply)

Good night to all.  I’m honored to affix you all as we have a good time the 2022 Heroes in Health Award nominees.  We are impressed by the winners’ revolutionary and inventive options to enhance the well being sector by means of environment friendly, high-quality, and inexpensive healthcare.

Before I proceed with the celebrations, I wish to acknowledge the necessary contributions of the late Mr. Christopher Nsamba, who was awarded the “Health Innovator of the Year” award final 12 months for growing the most important child incubator on the earth.  Mr. Christopher handed in July of this 12 months on the very younger age of 37, and I ship my condolences to his household, pals, and plenty of admirers.

The previous two and one-half years since March 2020 have introduced many challenges.  The COVID-19 pandemic, and now the Ebola outbreak, dramatically modified life as we knew it.  COVID-19 took too many lives, shuttered the worldwide financial system, and disrupted key schooling and well being initiatives.  Despite these difficulties, our sturdy relationships with Uganda’s authorities, organizations, and most significantly its individuals ensured efficient use of the various investments made by the United States Government.  These funds continued to encourage financial development and employability, enhance well being and schooling, promote democratic values, and strengthen safety.

As the world’s main world well being improvement associate and largest contributor of well being help to Uganda, the U.S. Government stays dedicated to enhancing the well being and general well-being of Ugandans.  Our focus is on working in respectful partnership, strengthening Uganda’s capability to handle HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, maternal and little one well being, reproductive well being together with household planning, in addition to rising well being threats, whereas additionally making certain that these good points are sustainable.  U.S. Government initiatives are directed towards serving to the individuals of Uganda in cooperation with quite a few native and worldwide companions – together with the Government of Uganda, non-governmental organizations, the personal sector, and civil society.  To help these targets, we make investments over $500 million in Uganda’s well being sector yearly —the majority of which matches to supporting HIV applications by means of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

For practically 20 years, Uganda and the United States, by means of PEPFAR, have collaborated to develop and implement environment friendly and efficient approaches to establish tens of millions of Ugandans residing with HIV and hyperlink them to efficient therapy, forestall an infection earlier than it happens, and mitigate the influence of HIV on the group.  Twenty years in the past, the state of affairs round HIV an infection and sickness felt determined, however in the present day we discover that state of affairs radically reworked.  As of September 2022, over 1.3 million Ugandans residing with HIV had been receiving PEPFAR-supported HIV therapy.  Only two days in the past, I used to be with a few of these individuals on the UNYPA (Uganda Network of Young People Living With HIV& AIDS) Y+ magnificence pageant.  They live positively – pun supposed – and educating others whereas planning for their very own lengthy, productive lives.  Achieving HIV epidemic management in Uganda is within reach 40 years after the primary instances had been detected.  And regardless of the emergence of COVID-19, and now the continuing outbreak of Ebola, now we have ensured that HIV care and therapy stays a central precedence.  We applaud the heroes within the well being sector who’ve helped Uganda to realize nice success within the combat in opposition to HIV.  We ought to have a good time the excellent innovation and creativity that has introduced us thus far and acknowledge what will likely be required to assist Uganda to cross that end line of the 95-95-95 targets and to maintain epidemic management.

Improving healthcare throughout Uganda requires stopping not solely transmission of HIV and different communicable illnesses, but in addition enhancing social determinants of well being.  Gender-based violence is a pervasive menace that will increase the danger of HIV and plenty of different detrimental well being outcomes, and requires inventive and revolutionary options to drastically scale back its prevalence.  All types of gender-based violence and violence in opposition to youngsters have to be prevented.  And in the present day, on the primary day of the 16 days in opposition to gender-based violence marketing campaign, we name upon our heroes within the well being sector to be actively conscious of this menace and use their abilities to eradicate all types of violence.

When it involves scaling up group fashions of care, PEPFAR is supporting revolutionary and inventive partnerships with the personal sector.  For instance, a handy group pharmacy distribution mannequin has been launched.  Currently, over thirty thousand (30,000) shoppers have acquired their drug refills at 90 pharmacies in 63 districts.  Through this collaboration, over 90 % of the shoppers enrolled on this mannequin hold their clinic appointments and have achieved HIV viral load suppression.

Additionally, PEPFAR is supporting innovation and creativity on the grassroots stage, leveraging the huge community of group well being staff to enhance affected person outcomes.  For instance, by means of the caregiver mannequin, youngsters and adolescents – who’ve the poorest therapy outcomes in Uganda – profit from the direct help of well being care staff, and we see youngsters on second and third-line HIV therapies are attaining viral load suppression.

The U.S. Government has pioneered many inventions and new applied sciences to strengthen Uganda’s well being techniques.  During the COVID-19 lockdown, we linked regional referral hospitals to lower-level amenities utilizing new teleconferencing techniques that facilitated digital coaching and supervision of well being staff.  This innovation allowed tens of millions of Ugandans to proceed receiving essential lifesaving well being providers in the course of the lockdown.  Also, utilizing PEPFAR sources, now we have launched the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system on the National Medical Store (NMS).  This state-of-the-art system permits end-to-end visibility of well being commodity administration from procurement by means of affected person distribution.

We proceed to help the Ministry of Health with superior laboratory tools and data techniques that make Uganda one of many main nations in illness surveillance and response worldwide – and these sturdy well being techniques are being ably used for the Ebola response.  The United States Government is proud to associate with Uganda as we proceed to advance the nation’s capability to succeed in tens of millions of individuals in want of essential providers.  Together, our purpose is to construct a well being system that’s resilient, versatile, sustainable, and able to dealing with rising well being threats.

But all of this funding and innovation is meaningless with out the onerous work and dedication of the Health Care Workers.  They are those who make technological advances work and who remodel new concepts into life-saving practices.  They are the surgical workforce I met in Soroti who separated cojoined groups; the workforce in Fort Portal who supplied essential care to fellow well being care staff affected by Ebola; the lab techs and bike couriers dealing with probably harmful samples; the epidemiologists monitoring illness unfold; YAPS – younger individuals and adolescent peer help members educating their friends; village well being groups; all the hygienists I met – predominantly younger girls – in Mubende and Kassanda; and naturally the management workforce on the Ministry and plenty of, many others.  This gathering in the present day is about you and all that you simply do in help of your group and nation.  Yesterday was the American vacation of Thanksgiving, a day when Americans pause to precise gratitude for pals, household, and so they blessings they’ve.  I wish to respect all of you – the heroes in well being.

As we acknowledge the 60 years of partnership between the American and Ugandan individuals, the United States appears to be like ahead to deepening its dedication to empowering the Ugandan individuals to construct a wholesome, affluent, and democratic nation they richly deserve.

Thank you.

By U.S. Mission Uganda | 25 November, 2022 | Topics: Ambassador, Health Issues, Sections & Offices, Speeches