President Yoweri Museveni has been awarded a lifetime achievement award for providing leadership in healthcare promotion with specific salutations to his work in curbing HIV/AIDS and his recent role in combating the global COVID19.
This was during the inaugural Heroes in Health Awards organized by the Ministry of Health under the theme; “inspiring a world class workforce in Uganda’s Healthcare service delivery held on Friday, at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
“This is our appreciation platform to recognize stakeholders who are playing a critical role in promoting the health sector” Diana Atwine the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health. She added that the sacrifice and time invested by the health workers cannot be equated to any form of compensation.
During his speech, Jacob Oulanyah, the deputy speaker of parliament narrated a moving story about a midwife in his home district of Omoro who endured many hours of holding a phone in her mouth in order to provide light as she delivered a mother.
The President who was represented by the vice president Edward Ssekandi at the awards gala described public recognition of health workers as wonderful idea, calling the public not to drop guard with COVID19 pandemic and also urged Ugandans to guard against diseases through responsible eating habits coupled with physical exercises.
Among those who won awards is the Kingdom of Buganda, which has dedicated resources and launched public campaigns like the annual Kabaka run to raise funds for HIV and cancer activities. Arch. Bishop John Baptist Ondama, was also awarded as a health champion in Northern Uganda for his recent campaign to raise funds for the purchase of a modern CT scan Machine at St. Mary’s Lacor Hospital in Gulu.
The Heroes in Health Awards is a public private partnership between the Ministry of Health and Xtraordinary media Group Ltd, a local media firm run by a one Agaba Ronald Bills who revealed that the winners came through public nominations where close to 3,000 nominations were received under a month with inspiring stories and testimonies about heroes in Uganda’s health sector.
Uganda’s health sector is celebrated globally for managing pandemics especially the Ebola outbreak where the late Dr. Mathew Lukwiya with his “If I die, Let me be the last” mantra died at the frontline in October, 2000. Lukwiya was the brightest of young Ugandan doctors.
He had scholarships and prizes to spare: the best school-leaving marks in Uganda; the best-ever student in tropical pediatrics at the school of tropical medicine in Liverpool. He could have chosen a career path that led towards riches. But he was never tempted.
When he qualified in Kampala, he headed 300km north to St Mary’s, in Lacor, an Italian missionary hospital outside Gulu, the main town in the region of his own Acholi people.
The awards panel of judges was led by Prof. Moses Galukande of Makerere University.
In the event publication, Dr. Ruth Aceng, the Minister of health tells her story while working at Lira Regional Hospital where she was identified by the president and promoted due to hard work and sacrifice.
Doris Okudinia of Ediofe Health center iv in Arua who was present at the event was recognized for her heroic act of wheeling a patient for 3kms to the Arua referral hospital due to the delay of the ambulance.
To salute the heroes who are walking in the footsteps of late Dr. Lukwiya, signature Africa, a travel and tour company handed out travel vouchers for a 3 days all expenses paid trip to Murchison Falls National park. Other private sector companies that supported event included Stanbic Bank, Uganda Breweries, Microheam and Next Media Services in conjunction with public bodies like National Medical stores, National Drug Authority and Uganda Communications Commission among others.
