Global Health Security: HEPS – Uganda’s Priority Area for 2024

For the third straight year, HEPS-Uganda’s key area of focus in 2024 will be Global Health Security. The focus on Global Health Security comes at a time when Uganda and the whole world continue to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Kenneth Mwehonge, the HEPS-Uganda Executive Director, the pandemic has highlighted the need to focus more on strengthening health systems to prepare and respond to global public health threats like pandemics and other health emergencies.

According to the World Health Organisation, Global health security refers to activities required, both proactive and reactive, to minimize the danger and impact of acute public health events that endanger people’s health across geographical regions and international boundaries.

“New diseases, like the COVID-19 pandemic are emerging at unprecedented rates. These are disrupting people’s health and causing social and economic impacts. It is time to focus on the joint global response to these issues, strengthen health systems, and improve surveillance,” Mwehonge explains, adding that “pandemics, health emergencies, and weak health systems cost lives as well as endangering the global economy and security.”

“With our partners, through different community projects, we will contribute to strengthening health security, monitor the implementation of the National Action Plan on health security, amplify advocacy for health security financing, as well as assess and strengthen national and sub-national level capacity to investigate, report, and react to public health emergencies,” Mwehonge elaborates.