Dr. Winifred Tarinyeba Kiryabwire, who has been a director on the board of Dfcu bank has resigned and left the board of the bank.

According to an internal memo, Dr. Winifred resigns due to commitments she is due to undertake in another entity. She has been a non-Executive Director since September 2013.
“The Board of directors of Dfcu (the company) informs its shareholders and general public of the resignation of Dr. Winifred Tarinyeba Kiryabwire as a director in the company with effect from the 27th March 2019.

“Dr. Winifred Tarinyeba Kiryabwire joined and has diligently served the since September 2013 as a non-Executive director. She resigns due to commitments she is due to undertake in another entity. The Board takes this opportunity to appreciate the commitment and invaluable contribution made by Dr. Winifred during her tenure and wishes her the very best in her future endeavors.”

The Board is in the process of nominating another Director to fill the casual vacancy and will present the Director to the shareholders for approval at the next Annual General Meeting.

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The Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Hassan Suluhu, has called on East African Community Partner States to invest in Digital Health Technology if the region is to fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals and address all aspects of poverty.

“Investing in Health Sector and relevant digital technologies is key for our development that we need to pursue more aggressively as a region,” said Suluhu.

The Vice-President was speaking during the official opening ceremony of the 7th East African Health and Scientific Conference (EAHSC), which is taking place at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

She said Science and technology is an important and vital tool in addressing fundamental gaps in the health sector.

“I wish to commend the organizers for the timely and relevant selection of the theme. Technology for health systems transformation and attainment of the UN-Sustainable Development Goals. This theme comes at an opportune moment as the world is in its fourth industrial revolution where science and technology is taking the lead in all aspects,” she said.

She said the conference that the approval of the Digital Regional East African Community Health (Digital REACH) 10 years strategic plan by the Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health held in Kigali on October 26, 2018 was an important step towards achieving transformation in the sector.

“I expect that Digital REACH will support the development and implementation of regional health programmes, within existing EAC Regional policies and legal frameworks as provided by the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community and as desired by each of the EAC Partner States,” she said.

She told the participants at the conference that Digital health has been proven as one of the enablers of Sustainable Development Goals in developed countries and a lot of pilot projects all over the world are confirming the same to be the case in low- and middle-income country settings.

‘’I therefore encourage Partner States to support the new development in EAC Partner States and call upon the region to work together through Digital Health Technology and reiterate the commitment of the United Republic of Tanzania to take advantage of Digital Health technology to improve implementation of health sector interventions, with the aim of accelerating attainment of the Universal Health Coverage and SDGs.’’

On his part, the Chairperson of the Sectoral Council on Health and Ministers of State of Public Health and Primary Health Care, Dr. Patrick Ndimubanzi, said the digital age was transforming the entire health sector and how healthcare was delivered.

“In fact Digital Health solutions can increase access to health services, deliver training for health professionals, provide better diagnostics and health information,” said Dr. Ndimubanzi, who is also Rwanda’s Minister of State in charge of Public Health and Primary Healthcare.

Dr. Ndimubanzi told the conference that ICT and digital health solutions offered the prospect of bringing into reach universal health coverage and the prospect of making health and well-being for all a reality by 2030.

“I am glad to note that the 19th Ordinary Summit of Heads of EAC Partner States held in Kampala in February 2018, committed to invest in Digital Health Technology, as one of the health sector investment priorities for the region for the next 10 years; for better research for health, health services delivery and health outcome,” said Dr. Ndibumanzi.

The Chair the Sectoral Council call upon the region to put in place strategic policies and practical interventions that can help the EAC Region to boost the uptake of digital health technology.

Representing the EAC Secretary General, Amb Liberat Mfumukeko, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote, said Conference contributes towards strengthening regional cooperation in health in line with Article 118 of the Treaty that established the EAC as well as relevant provisions of the EAC Common Market Protocol which provides a platform or knowledge sharing among health professional in the EAC region.

He urged the EAC Partner States to align their Digital Health strategies and activities with Digital REACH Initiative and to support initiative that complements the national initiatives.

Eng. Mlote said that the conference is expected to come up with the relevant and realistic recommendations for the improvement of health care and delivery through application of technologies for the improvement of the health and the wellbeing of citizens of the Community will be made.

During the official opening, the Vice-President also launched the Digital REACH initiative Strategic Plan 2019-2018, East African Web Portal for Health Information and Young East African Research Scientists (YEARS) forum.

The East African Health and Scientific Conference is biennial and organized on rotational basis within the EAC Partner States. EAC Technical Working Group Meeting on Pilot Testing of Harmonized Pesticides Guidelines from Efficacy Trials

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Uganda Youth and Adolescent Health Forum (UYAHF) on Thursday organised a training workshop for journalists who report on health and reproductive issues that affect Ugandan vulnerable adolescents, especially females who are a major target of the organisation.

The workshop was held and Fairway Hotel in Kampala, attracting journalists, Ministry of Health representatives, officials from the National Population Council (NPC) World Health Organisation (WHO) and a number of civil society organisations.

Addressing participants at the half-day workshop, UYAHF Founder and Team Leader Patrick Mwesigye said the workshop was meant to engage journalists who report on health on how best they can report on such issues of adolescents using available data and information available.

Mwesigye said one of the objectives UYAHF is to advocate for and engage government at national and sub national level on policies and programmes that affect adolescents in the country such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease (STI) and reproductive health among others.

“The media is very important in informing adolescents on issues of health and wellbeing but they need information, knowledge and skills to report better,” he said, adding that some of the issues that adolescents face include; nutrition, HIV/AIDS, mental health, physical health, drugs and alcohol among others that need public attention.

The President of Uganda Health Journalists Association (UHJA) Esther Nakazzi urged journalists to do research, seek information from credible sources, be objective, fair and present balanced articles for publication. Ms Nakazzi further urged journalists who report on health to do their work with passion, saying that passion for work make them succeed in their profession.

Dr. Betty Kyadondo, director of Family Health at the National Population Council lauded journalists for having interest in reporting about health issues that affect adolescents and the youth of Uganda.

Dr. Kyadondo sensitised journalists on Uganda’s Demographic Dividend Roadmap which was launched last December, with emphasis on how government can intervene in different areas so as young people who make up 50 percent of the population can contribute to the economic growth of the country and realise Vision 2040.

She said it was important that journalists understood such a document and others that address adolescent and youth issues. She said there is need for sensitisation of adolescents on contraceptives especially in rural areas if Uganda is to cut the total fertility rate currently stands at 5.6 children per woman in 2016.

Presenting the state of sexual reproductive health and rights of adolescents and youth in Uganda, Dr. Placid Mihayo from the Ministry of Health urged journalists to be ethical and professional while doing their work. He urged the newsmen to respect the privacy of the individuals they report about.

He said some experts and other individuals fear to talk to journalists because sometimes journalists misrepresent the information given them. He urged journalists to be mindful of their ethics while reporting.

Esther Dsafa from Centre for Health and Human Rights Development (CEHURD) urged journalists to employ human rights based approach while reporting on health issues, saying it is wrong for journalists to violate rights and privacy of others.

Also addressing participants, Dr. Ibrahim Kirunda, from the World Health Organisation (WHO) said there was need for priority areas of intervention, standards and guidelines for quality adolescent health services.

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