Uganda’s first-ever national conference to jointly confront communicable and non-communicable diseases, held from 3–7 November 2025 at Speke Resort Munyonyo, did more than share research and statistics.
It signalled a long-overdue shift in our thinking: if we are to protect our people, our economy and our health system, Uganda must stop fighting diseases in isolation. We must act as one.
For decades, we built strong vertical programmes, especially against HIV, TB and malaria, that saved millions of lives. But now a different reality is knocking on every household door: chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory disease are rising sharply. And for many families, this double burden is no longer theoretical. It is lived experience.
A mother managing a child’s recurrent infections may also be caring for a husband newly diagnosed with diabetes. A person living with HIV may now also need hypertension medications.
These intersecting conditions do not fit neatly into our traditional, single-disease boxes. And when the health system remains siloed, patients fall through the gaps.
A Warning From the Numbers
The conference offered stark reminders: one in four Ugandan children under five is stunted. Hypertension and diabetes are widespread yet often undetected. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is quietly eroding our ability to treat even the most common infections.
More than 400 research abstracts submitted for the conference revealed both the scale of the challenge and the readiness of Ugandan scientists to respond, if we build the right systems.
These data point to the same conclusion: integration is no longer optional. It is the only efficient, equitable path forward.
The Case for Integrated Care
Experts at the conference were unanimous: integration does not mean dismantling our successful vertical programmes. It means strengthening them by embedding prevention, screening and treatment for chronic diseases within existing platforms, especially primary care.
The national Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) programme emerged as a key vehicle for this transformation. If properly supported, CHEWs and Village Health Teams (VHTs) can bring essential services, screening, basic treatment, nutrition counselling, referral, directly to parishes.
This single reform could reduce missed diagnoses and relieve households of the heavy costs of travel.
But integration also demands investment: laboratory networks that work, reliable oxygen supply, functional supply chains, and effective AMR surveillance. Without these, our ambitions will collapse under the weight of weak systems.
Nutrition Must Be at the Centre
If there was one message that resonated deeply, it was that nutrition is not a side note, it is the foundation of both prevention and recovery. Good nutrition strengthens immunity, reduces childhood illness, lowers NCD risk, and supports treatment outcomes across the board.
Practical actions remain straightforward yet powerful:
- Exclusive breastfeeding for six months.
- Diverse diets rich in legumes, fruits, vegetables and affordable animal-source foods.
- Less sugar, salt and processed fats.
- Routine growth monitoring and nutrition counselling integrated into every clinic visit.
Nutrition is the one intervention whose returns are lifelong.
A Practical Way Forward
The conference offered a clear, actionable roadmap. Uganda must:
- Scale integrated primary care so one visit can deliver immunisation, HIV/TB care, NCD screening, nutrition services and mental-health support.
- Rapidly expand and equip the CHEW workforce.
- Invest in diagnostics, laboratory networks and oxygen.
- Strengthen AMR stewardship under a One Health approach.
- Fund essential programmes sustainably.
- Ensure local research directly informs national policy.
These steps require political commitment—but they also demand community ownership.
Communities Cannot Be Bystanders
Families and local leaders play an irreplaceable role. Keeping children vaccinated. Monitoring growth. Checking blood pressure and blood sugar regularly. Using antibiotics only when prescribed. Improving household diets. Supporting CHEW and VHT activities. These small decisions, made daily in homes and villages, determine whether Uganda succeeds or stumbles.
A Moment We Cannot Waste
Uganda’s inaugural integrated health conference was more than a meeting. It was a wake-up call. If we continue treating diseases in silos, we will continue losing people unnecessarily. But if we embrace integrated, people-centred care, rooted in prevention, nutrition, early detection and community health, Uganda can build a system resilient enough for both today’s epidemics and tomorrow’s chronic burdens.
The choice is ours. The time is now.
The Writer Daniel Kamara is Nutritionist at Bwindi Community Hospital in Kanungu District.
