President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has committed Shs125 billion as seed capital for a medical doctors’ Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (SACCO), announced a tax exemption for medical personnel and directed the health sector to prioritise disease prevention as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in Uganda.
The President said the investment in the doctors’ SACCO is intended to improve the welfare of medical professionals, support their further education and address financial pressures that have contributed to the practice of moonlighting among doctors.
He made the commitments while presiding over the 10th Uganda Medical Association (UMA) Grand Doctors’ Conference at Soroti University on Friday, November 13, 2026, held under the theme: “Harnessing the Numbers and Quality for Socioeconomic Transformation and Global Health.”
On preventive healthcare, President Museveni challenged medical professionals to develop a cost-effective national health strategy that places greater emphasis on preventing diseases rather than spending heavily on treating illnesses that could have been avoided.
He observed that about 80 per cent of illnesses in Uganda are preventable and should not require expensive medical interventions.
The President identified immunisation, proper nutrition, personal hygiene, safe water, sanitation and public education as key interventions that could significantly reduce the disease burden.
Citing Uganda’s progress in eliminating measles and polio, he said the expansion of the national immunisation programme from an initial focus on six killer diseases, which were responsible for approximately 96,000 child deaths annually, demonstrated the effectiveness of preventive healthcare.
He also identified poor hygiene, inadequate nutrition, early marriages, alcoholism and unsafe food handling as some of the factors contributing to preventable illnesses.
President Museveni particularly cautioned against consuming mould-contaminated groundnuts, warning that they contain harmful substances associated with cancer.
He further urged medical professionals to take health education beyond hospitals by engaging communities through radio programmes in local languages.
He proposed that district health officers dedicate at least one radio programme every two weeks to educating the public on disease prevention and healthy living.
The President cited Uganda’s previous public health campaigns against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, Guinea worm and bilharzia as examples of how community mobilisation, improved sanitation, safe drinking water and public awareness can deliver significant health outcomes.
He also announced that the government would remove taxes on doctors’ salaries, extending to medical personnel a tax exemption similar to that enjoyed by security officers, including soldiers, police and prison officers.
“I have already agreed with them on the tax waiver. We shall exempt medical personnel from paying taxes because we do not tax policemen, prison officers or soldiers. Why, then, should we tax doctors and other medical workers? Let them retain their current earnings,” President Museveni said.
The President challenged doctors to abandon moonlighting, which involves medical professionals dividing their working hours between government health facilities and private medical establishments.
He said the practice should be addressed by improving doctors’ remuneration and welfare, recalling that before 1970, most African doctors worked exclusively in government hospitals because their salaries were sufficient to meet their needs.
President Museveni also endorsed the proposal for annual meetings of medical professionals and pledged government support towards establishing doctors’ shops similar to army shops.
However, he advised that the shops should concentrate on essential commodities, including building materials, rather than non-essential items such as alcohol and perfumes.
On specialised medical training, the President directed the government to facilitate the training of at least 200 geriatric specialists to address Uganda’s shortage of doctors specialising in the healthcare needs of elderly people.
He revealed that the country currently has only three to four geriatric specialists, a situation he said requires deliberate government intervention.
He also raised concern over the shortage of paediatric cardiologists, noting that Uganda has approximately 12 specialists to manage congenital heart conditions in children.
He challenged medical training institutions to identify other critical areas requiring specialised expertise and assured them of government support in developing the necessary human resource capacity.
President Museveni further cautioned universities and other institutions against commercialising medical education at the expense of quality, warning that substandard training compromises the competence of healthcare professionals and must be addressed.
He commended Soroti University for prioritising science-based academic programmes, emphasising that university education should respond to the country’s scientific, technological and development needs.
The Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo credited President Museveni’s leadership and political commitment for the progress made in Uganda’s health sector.
She said a healthy population is fundamental to wealth creation, employment, productivity and socioeconomic transformation because healthy citizens are better positioned to exploit their potential and contribute to national development.
The Vice President applauded the President for championing public health, particularly in the prevention and management of epidemics, noting that Ugandans have been the primary beneficiaries of the government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare services.
She also highlighted the expansion of the national immunisation programme from six vaccines targeting killer diseases to the current 13 vaccines, describing it as an important milestone in protecting children’s lives.
H.E Alupo called for increased public awareness of hygiene, proper nutrition and other lifestyle practices that contribute to better health outcomes.
Meanwhile, Soroti University Vice Chancellor, Professor Robert Ikoja-Odongo, commended the government for its continued investment in the institution, saying the funding provided had enabled the completion of an academic block that is now operational.
He said the facility had eased the shortage of teaching space and improved the university’s capacity to deliver academic programmes but appealed for additional lecture blocks and laboratory facilities to accommodate the growing student population.
Professor Ikoja-Odongo also applauded the government for facilitating plans to establish a teaching and regional referral hospital at the university.
He revealed that the university had allocated 50 acres of land for the project, adding that encroachers had been removed and an irregular land title cancelled, clearing the way for the construction of the Ministry of Health-managed facility.
He further commended the government for establishing the Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology at Soroti University, saying the facility would strengthen Uganda’s nuclear energy programme through specialised training and research.
Professor Ikoja-Odongo explained that the centre would support the production of radioisotopes used in cancer treatment, helping Uganda reduce its dependence on foreign countries for essential medical technologies and services.
Presenting the medical fraternity’s position, UMA president Dr. Frank Asiimwe proposed a Strategic Compact for Health Sector Reforms to strengthen collaboration between government and medical professionals and accelerate the transformation of Uganda’s healthcare system.
Dr. Asiimwe said the proposed compact would provide a framework for strategic cooperation, drawing on the expertise, experience and accountability of medical professionals to address persistent challenges in the health sector.
He noted that UMA brings together close to 15,000 doctors across 14 branches and remains committed to strengthening professional discipline, accountability, mentorship and collaboration with government.
While acknowledging government’s investments and achievements in healthcare, Dr. Asiimwe said several systemic barriers continue to constrain service delivery and require joint intervention.
He said the proposed reforms build on strategic dialogue initiated during the first Grand Doctors’ Conference in 2016, which President Museveni also attended as Chief Guest.
Dr. Asiimwe highlighted Uganda’s progress in the health sector, citing increased life expectancy, reduced maternal mortality, improved health financing and strengthened capacity to respond to disease outbreaks.
He said life expectancy has risen to 68 years, while growth in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and improvements in health financing have enhanced the country’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies, including Ebola and cholera.
He also cited kidney transplantation at Mulago National Referral Hospital as a significant milestone towards clinical self-reliance, enabling Ugandans to access complex medical procedures locally.
The UMA president commended Ugandan doctors for delivering specialised medical services under challenging conditions, training successive generations of medical professionals and safeguarding the country against disease outbreaks.
However, he emphasised that the achievements must be matched with deliberate interventions to address the remaining systemic challenges affecting healthcare delivery.
Dr. Asiimwe also announced that the UMA National Executive Council had conferred upon President Museveni its highest institutional distinction, honorary membership number UMAHM00001, in recognition of his contribution to the medical profession and the country’s health sector.
He further presented the Association’s proposed priorities and the detailed breakdown of the Shs125 billion requested from the President to support the doctors’ SACCO.
Professor Francis Omaswa, a distinguished medical scholar and founding Chairperson of the Uganda Medical Association, called for increased investment in primary healthcare and community-based health services to accelerate improvements in Uganda’s health indicators.
Professor Omaswa acknowledged the progress made in life expectancy, maternal and child health but noted that more deliberate efforts were needed to achieve international health targets.
He urged political leaders at all levels to prioritise healthcare and mobilise communities to demand, participate in and take responsibility for health services.
He cited Uganda’s response to COVID-19, particularly the activation of village COVID-19 task forces, as an example of how community participation can strengthen public health interventions.
He also called for stronger inter-ministerial collaboration, saying health considerations should be integrated into other sectors, including water, education and housing, rather than being treated as the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Health.
On medical education, Professor Omaswa called for stricter regulation of medical training institutions, warning that failure to enforce professional standards could undermine the quality of healthcare delivery.
He urged authorities to close institutions that fail to comply with the guidelines of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council and the National Council for Higher Education, cautioning that inadequate training could produce health professionals whose competence, attitudes and professional conduct compromise patient care.
Professor Omaswa further challenged doctors to make professionalism, accountability and ethical conduct the foundation of their practice, urging medical practitioners to hold one another accountable for maintaining high standards of service.
