Baylor Uganda works with Ministry of Health Uganda, CDC, WHO and other IPs to strengthen prevention, detection and response to public health emergencies at national, regional, district and community levels. Our key expertise in GHS includes:
B.1. Core GHS capacity: Strengthening surveillance and laboratory systems including sentinel and community-based surveillance systems, antimicrobial resistance prevention, Border Health Security, mass vaccination support including microplanning and implementation, community mobilization and conducting population movement assessment across borders to inform surveillance systems.
B.2. Emergency response: Our team have capacity and have collaborated with MOH to conduct rapid risk assessments and situation analysis, support and deploy surge team, participate in IMT including in the different pillars, establish regional emergency operation centers and functionalize regional coordination mechanisms, support train and operationalize district rapid response teams, and train and coordinate emergency medical services. We also have capacity to support risk communication and community engagement during outbreaks and community-based disease surveillance and response. We also have capacity to support After Action Reviews and we are currently co-developing SIMEX with MOH, WHO and CDC.
Key successes: 1) Supported MOH to develop a strategic plan for the department of Integrated Epidemiology, Surveillance and PHEs; Adapt 3rd IDSR guidelines and establish national integrated sentinel surveillance. 2) Established Fort Portal REOC which effectively coordinated COVID-19 response. 3) 17/17 District health task forces and subcommittees functionalized for COVID-19 response. 4) 17/17 districts led capacity building and implementation of eIDSR, IPC, COVID-19 RDT use and homebased care. 5) Rolled out 3rd edition IDSR in 17/17 districts. 6) COVID-19 vaccine uptake 1st dose-84% and 2nd dose 56%. 7) COVID-19 contact tracing using GoData in 63 districts (14 in Soroti) through WHO funding. 8) Provided flexible funds for PHE response at national and district level. 9) Strengthened border health security including assessing population connectivity assessments in 2 regions. 10) Established and built infection prevention and control committees in >300 health facilities in all the 17 supported districts.
B.3. Continuity of essential health services: We have capacity to support delivery of emergency medical outreach services to ensure continuity of care especially for the most vulnerable (children and mothers), and strength integrated community case management including strengthening surveillance for malnutrition among children. Below is an example of how we supported access to medical services in flood and landslide districts in Uganda, with WHO support:
Emergency Medical Outreaches (EMOs) and integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) in flood and landslide affected districts of Bududa, Sironko and Bundibugyo
Baylor Uganda with funding from WHO implemented a project to improve the treatment of Malaria, Pneumonia, and Diarrhoea among U5s, by VHTs, and extend essential medical services to hard-to-reach and underserved communities through iCCM and EMOs in flood and landslide affected Bundibugyo, Bududa, and Sironko districts. We worked with districts to establish the hard-to-reach and most affected sub-counties, and constitute 2 medical teams of 4 people each per district (clinical officer, lab, nurse/midwife and records officer). We conducted integrated PMTCT/EID and immunization outreaches to outreach sites and hard-to-reach villages. We also trained and provided required equipment, medicines and diagnostics to 1 VHT per village to provide iCCM (240 per district).
