Uganda’s Ministry of Health has boosted the country’s grassroots healthcare system with the handover of critical medical tools and mobility equipment to over 6,000 Village Health Teams (VHTs) under the Community Health Workers Strengthening Project.
During a ceremony held in Masaka City, Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwiine officially handed over motorcycles for parish VHT coordinators, as well as bicycles, mobile phones, weighing scales, blood pressure machines, glucometers, and digital thermometers.
The initiative, supported by the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), aims to enhance health service delivery in Masaka City, Masaka, and Bukomansimbi districts.
“You are not just health workers. You are catalysts for healthier communities,” Dr. Atwiine told the VHTs during the event. “As agents of change, you will be the first line of defense in our villages, ensuring that no mother dies giving life, and no child is lost to preventable diseases.”
VHTs are considered the backbone of Uganda’s community health system. They provide essential services such as health education, disease prevention, early diagnosis, and referrals—connecting households with formal health facilities.
Dr. Atwiine emphasized that with improved tools, training, and supervision, VHTs are better positioned to respond to health challenges at the grassroots level. The newly distributed equipment is expected to improve both the quality and speed of health services delivered in rural communities.
The Community Health Workers Strengthening Project is part of Uganda’s broader strategy to achieve universal health coverage by investing in community-based primary health care.
The government says it will continue to prioritize community health systems as a key pillar for national development.