By Aggrey Baba
The Ministry of Health has launched the national Measles-Rubella Immunization Campaign, with Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi leading the exercise at Wakiso Health Centre IV on Thursday, October 1, and personally immunizing children alongside the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Diana Atwine.
The five-day campaign, running from October 1 to 5, 2026, targets all children aged 9 to 59 months (9 months to 5yrs) across the country regardless of whether they have previously received a measles-rubella vaccine.
Dr Baryomunsi and Atwine participated in the vaccination exercise at the launch, administering the vaccine to children as the Ministry called on parents and caregivers across the country to bring all eligible children to health facilities and designated outreach points, including schools.
The vaccine is being provided free of charge, with the Ministry working with district health teams, Village Health Teams (VHTs), schools, community leaders, religious leaders and development partners to ensure that eligible children are reached.
Speaking at Wakiso Health Centre IV, Dr Baryomunsi said immunization remains a central part of the Government’s efforts to protect children from diseases that can be prevented through vaccination.
“We cannot allow children to suffer or die from diseases that can be prevented through immunization,” Dr Baryomunsi said.
He said the MoH was particularly concerned about measles outbreaks that continue to occur in different parts of the country, noting that more than 60 districts had reported measles outbreaks during the previous year.
The Minister also highlighted a gap between the uptake of the first measles-rubella dose and the second dose given at 18 months, saying the campaign provides an opportunity to strengthen protection among children who may have missed vaccination or require additional protection.
He urged parents not to listen to misinformation and rumours about vaccines, emphasising that the campaign is intended to ensure that no eligible child is left unprotected.
“Parents should bring their children for vaccination and not listen to rumours that may prevent them from accessing these vaccines,” he said.
The Minister said the campaign would not replace Uganda’s routine immunization programme, which will continue after the October 5 exercise.
The national launch also turned into an opportunity for the Ministry to address some of the health-service challenges facing Wakiso, one of Uganda’s most densely populated districts.
Dr Baryomunsi revealed that the Ministry has already completed the designs required to elevate Wakiso Health Centre IV into a hospital.
“We have already done the designs, so the plans are there to elevate this health facility into a hospital,” he said.
He added that the Ministry would also visit and assess other health facilities in the district, including those serving communities in hard-to-reach areas such as Busi Island.
The Minister further said the staffing structure for Health Centre IVs had been expanded from 49 health workers to 150, with recruitment expected to be advertised soon.
The announcement came after Wakiso leaders used the launch to present a series of challenges affecting healthcare delivery in the rapidly growing district.
Wakiso District Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Kiza Godfrey Wakiduma said the district has a population of more than 3.4 million people and has an extensive network of health facilities, but continues to face serious gaps in staffing, infrastructure and emergency transport.
“We have a very big population and yet we do not have a district hospital. We also have only limited ambulance capacity to respond to emergencies across the district,” Wakiduma said.
He said Wakiso has no district hospital, while the available ambulance capacity remains inadequate for the size and population of the district.
Wakiso LC5 Chairperson Eng Ian Kyeyune asked the Ministry to upgrade Wakiso Health Centre IV into a hospital and improve infrastructure at the other Health Centres in the district.
“We request the Ministry to consider upgrading this health centre into a hospital and also strengthen the infrastructure at our other Health Centres,” Kyeyune said.
Kyeyune said outpatient and antenatal departments are increasingly congested because of the large number of people seeking services, while staffing shortages continue to affect service delivery.
“We have congestion in our OPD and antenatal departments because of the numbers we are serving, and staffing remains one of our major challenges,” he said.
He also appealed for the establishment of theatres and improved surgical capacity, particularly in communities located on islands and other hard-to-reach areas.
A major request from both district leaders was for a boat ambulance for Busi Island, where communities face difficulties accessing emergency health services because of their geographical location.
Eng Kyeyune also raised concerns about inadequate laboratory staffing, noting that lower-level facilities often refer samples to Wakiso Health Centre IV, further increasing pressure on the facility.
“Our laboratory services are also under pressure because samples from lower health facilities are brought here, yet we do not have enough laboratory staff,” Kyeyune said.
He called for alternative power solutions, including solar energy, because electricity interruptions affect cold-chain systems, theatres, wards and drug stores.
“Power interruptions affect the cold chain, the theatre, wards and drug stores. We therefore need to look at alternatives such as solar power,” he said.
Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine urged parents, health workers and community structures to take an active role in ensuring that children are vaccinated during the campaign.
“VHTs are very important because they are the people who reach our households. We need them to mobilise parents and make sure that no child is missed,” Atwine said.
Dr Atwine particularly emphasized the role of VHTs, saying they remain critical in reaching households and mobilizing communities for immunization and other health programmes.
She also called for greater cooperation between the health and education sectors, particularly in ensuring that children in schools are reached by vaccination teams.
She raised concern over instances where some private schools have restricted access to immunization teams and appealed to schools to allow health workers to conduct vaccination programmes.
“We request all schools, including private schools, to allow the health teams to come in and immunise the children. We should not allow schools to become a barrier to immunization,” she said.
She stressed that immunization should also be supported by other interventions, including proper nutrition, sanitation, antenatal care, family planning, HIV prevention and other measures aimed at improving child and maternal health.
“Immunization alone is not enough. We must also address nutrition, sanitation, antenatal care and other factors that determine the health of our children,” Atwine said.
Dr Atwine urged parents to disregard misinformation about vaccines, emphasizing that the vaccines being administered under the campaign are safe, effective and provided free of charge.
State Minister for Primary Healthcare Dr Charles Ayume also joined the Ministry’s call for parents and caregivers to bring children aged 9 to 5 years for vaccination between October 1 and 5.
“We call upon all parents and caregivers to bring their children for vaccination during these five days. Let us make sure that every eligible child is reached,” Ayume said.
Dr Ayume is part of the Ministry’s current senior leadership alongside Hon Baryomunsi, Dr Atwine and Director General Health Services Dr Charles Olaro.
Dr Olaro said the campaign requires active participation from communities and frontline workers if the Ministry is to reach every eligible child.
“We need the participation of communities, VHTs, teachers, religious leaders and all other stakeholders if we are to reach every eligible child,” Olaro said.
He urged VHTs, teachers, religious leaders, local leaders and parents to work together to ensure that vaccines reach the children for whom they are intended.
“The vaccine must move from the vial to the arm,” Olaro said, stressing the importance of translating the national campaign into actual vaccination at household and community level.
The Ministry also acknowledged the contribution of its development and health partners supporting the campaign, including WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the US Government, CDC, Red Cross, PATH, CHAI, UNHCR, Medical Teams International, Baylor, Infectious Diseases Institute, Living Goods and other partners.
The national launch at Wakiso Health Centre IV therefore combined the immediate objective of the five-day measles-rubella campaign with wider discussions on strengthening health services in Wakiso.
The Ministry of Education and Sports also participated in the mobilization effort, with Hon. Phyllis Chemutai, the State Minister for Primary Education, stressing the importance of cooperation between schools and health teams in ensuring that children are reached.
“Schools are an important platform for reaching children, and we must work together with the Ministry of Health to make sure that those who are eligible receive the vaccines,” Chemutai said.
She encouraged teachers and school administrators to support the exercise by allowing health workers to access children and by helping communicate accurate information to parents.
The campaign will run until October 5, after which routine immunization services will continue as part of the Ministry’s ongoing vaccination programme. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
