Communication
Government Communicators Urged to Foster Health Communication to Enlighten Citizens
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Government Communication Officers, under their umbrella body, the Government Communicators Forum (GCOF), have been urged to embrace and strengthen health communication to reduce preventable diseases and other critical medical conditions. Moses Kamabare, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of National Medical Stores (NMS), made the call to action during a guided tour for GCOF at the NMS Head Office in Kajjansi on 17th September 2026.
According to Kamabare, more than 75% of all diseases in Uganda are preventable but cannot be prevented due to some of the habits and lifestyles that the citizens have chosen to embrace, which are predominantly born out of ignorance. This, he said, sets a very bad precedent for Uganda's health sector.
“It is common in Uganda for many people to wash their hands after eating but not before it. So sometimes, someone may stop by a roadside kiosk to purchase food as a way of cutting costs, and because the saucepans used to prepare the food were washed with contaminated water, they can end up getting diarrhoea,” he said.
He also hinted at the rampant number of preventable motorcycle accidents caused by both the rider and the passenger throwing caution to the wind. The passenger does not wear a helmet, and the rider operates the motorcycle at breakneck speed, which limits response time if obstacles appear along the way. This contributed to 12,804 motorcycle road crashes in Uganda, according to the Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report of 2025-a number that Kamabare believes is preventable through targeted health promotion campaigns.
These campaigns, once successful, would prevent diseases efficiently and effectively, reducing the burden and the need for medicine. Nevertheless, the CEO hinted that NMS was well equipped to reach all parts of the country, including the lowest-ranking medical facility: the Health Centre II at the parish level.
“There is no part of this country that we cannot reach within 12 hours. Every two months, we re-stock all the 3,492 Government health facilities across the country,” he said. He also added that NMS has a unique system that responds to emergency shortages of medicine and medical supplies within 24 hours, thanks to its unique working arrangement, which has two shifts operating during the day and at night.
The GCOF team, composed of Communication Officers from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), also toured the state-of-the-art medicine storage facilities at NMS before disbursement, after which they unanimously agreed to become ambassadors for health promotion through targeted communication.
According to Kamabare, more than 75% of all diseases in Uganda are preventable but cannot be prevented due to some of the habits and lifestyles that the citizens have chosen to embrace, which are predominantly born out of ignorance. This, he said, sets a very bad precedent for Uganda's health sector.
“It is common in Uganda for many people to wash their hands after eating but not before it. So sometimes, someone may stop by a roadside kiosk to purchase food as a way of cutting costs, and because the saucepans used to prepare the food were washed with contaminated water, they can end up getting diarrhoea,” he said.
He also hinted at the rampant number of preventable motorcycle accidents caused by both the rider and the passenger throwing caution to the wind. The passenger does not wear a helmet, and the rider operates the motorcycle at breakneck speed, which limits response time if obstacles appear along the way. This contributed to 12,804 motorcycle road crashes in Uganda, according to the Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report of 2025-a number that Kamabare believes is preventable through targeted health promotion campaigns.
These campaigns, once successful, would prevent diseases efficiently and effectively, reducing the burden and the need for medicine. Nevertheless, the CEO hinted that NMS was well equipped to reach all parts of the country, including the lowest-ranking medical facility: the Health Centre II at the parish level.
“There is no part of this country that we cannot reach within 12 hours. Every two months, we re-stock all the 3,492 Government health facilities across the country,” he said. He also added that NMS has a unique system that responds to emergency shortages of medicine and medical supplies within 24 hours, thanks to its unique working arrangement, which has two shifts operating during the day and at night.
The GCOF team, composed of Communication Officers from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), also toured the state-of-the-art medicine storage facilities at NMS before disbursement, after which they unanimously agreed to become ambassadors for health promotion through targeted communication.
The author is a Communications Officer at the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance.
