Q: What is contributing to PATH’s growth in Uganda?
A: Our staff and programs have grown tremendously. That isn’t an accident; it’s due to positive, long-term collaborations between Ugandan and headquarters staff.
Schoolgirls in Uganda, some still holding their arms, line up to confirm they just received the HPV vaccine. PATH/Robin Biellik.
We’ve welcomed many PATH projects and programs, along with internal and external visitors.
Most importantly, I think that every piece of work we have been asked to do, we have done it efficiently and with great results.
In the last eight years, we have evaluated more than 20 health technologies and products in Uganda—including the widely celebrated Sayana® Press.
Q: What do you see as the greatest opportunities for PATH to impact health in Uganda?
A: Uganda still has a lot of gaps in health services delivery; most populations still have no access to essential services. PATH has done a great job simplifying health technologies to put them within reach of everyone.
For example, we have expanded visual inspection with acetic acid [an effective and low-cost screening method for cervical cancer] in rural areas, and evaluated a simpler-to-use DNA test for HPV [human papillomavirus, the cause of cervical cancer] that we are now working to roll out countrywide. Therefore, that work needs to continue.
In this video, Emmanuel Mugisha provides more insight on how PATH’s work is saving lives in Uganda. Video: PATH.
This profile of Dr. Emmanuel Mugisha, PATH country program leader in Uganda, originally ran in Spotlight, PATH’s internal newsletter.
More information
- PATH technologies for reproductive health.
- PATH blog post: A “toolkit of innovation” to tackle cervical cancer in Uganda.
- Our work in cervical cancer.
Sayana® Press and Depo-Provera® are registered trademarks of Pfizer Inc. and/or its affiliates.