The Ministry of Health, through donor agencies, has launched the Busoga Regional Public Emergency Centre at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital. The Minister of State for Health in Charge of General Duties, Hanifah Kawooya, presided over the event. The center is intended to improve health services in the Busoga region through multi-sectoral collaboration.

It is anticipated that the center will also be of paramount importance in strengthening disease surveillance, overseeing outbreaks, and improving health data acquisition throughout the area.

“This center is part of our ongoing efforts to fortify our public health systems and to ensure quicker response times to disease outbreaks. With more centers planned, we are working towards a robust national network to tackle health emergencies more efficiently,” said Minister Kawooya.

The National Emergency Operations Center will receive health data collected and analyzed by the new operations center in close collaboration with surrounding districts. The purpose of this collaboration is to improve the region’s ability to respond to health emergencies and to improve long-term disease surveillance.

Dr. Alfred Yayi, Director of Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, noted that the center has already proven its importance.

“This facility was instrumental during the recent incident in Buyengo, where over 100 people were poisoned at a burial. It has also been closely monitoring the Mpox outbreak in Mayuge district,” he said.

Dr. Isa Makumbi, head of the National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, expressed optimism about the impact of this regional facility.

“The national center has been handling all aspects of disease monitoring, data collection, and surveillance. With more regional centers like this one, we can decentralize these efforts, reducing the pressure on the national system and allowing for faster responses at the local level,” he explained.

Now that it’s completely functioning, the Jinja facility should increase the area’s ability to manage medical emergencies. In the case of a disease epidemic, it will act as a vital hub for local authorities and health professionals, coordinating activities across Busoga’s districts to ensure prompt interventions.