The State House has hosted a health camp as part of its HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) mainstreaming program, aimed at raising awareness and strengthening the fight against both communicable and non-communicable diseases among staff and the wider public.

Organized by the State House Medical Department, the week-long initiative brought together government officials, medical experts, civil society representatives, and faith leaders to emphasize prevention, testing, and treatment—key pillars in Uganda’s push to end HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Speaking at the opening of the camp, Benon Twinobusingye, Assistant Commissioner and Head of Human Resources at State House, who represented the State House Comptroller Jane Barekye, stressed the importance of investing in the health and well-being of staff as a cornerstone of national productivity.

“The main objective of this camp is to continuously raise awareness about TB, HIV, AIDS, cancer, and other diseases that threaten our people. This aligns with the National Development Plan, which prioritizes health promotion as a fundamental human right for all Ugandans,” he said.

He noted that a healthy population is critical for building a motivated and productive workforce—not just within State House, but across all sectors of the country.

Providing an update on the HIV situation in Uganda, Tom Etii from the Uganda AIDS Commission revealed that 1.5 million Ugandans currently live with HIV, out of a total population of 45 million.

Of these, 1.3 million are on treatment, at a cost of approximately Shs 1.4 trillion annually to the government. However, challenges persist, with 37,000 new infections recorded in the past year.

The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health, Uganda Cancer Institute, Uganda Blood Transfusion Service, Uganda AIDS Commission, and State House staff.

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