This week, The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) CAMO-Net-Uganda project was recognised by the Ugandan Ministry of Health, winning an accolade for its unwavering support and multifaceted contribution towards the National One Health Platform. The award came as part of the 9th Ugandan Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Conference.
CAMO-Net-Uganda was specifically recognized for its critical contributions, including:
- AMR Research and Evidence: Advancing research that informs evidence-based action against AMR.
- Public Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE): As part of this work, the Ugandan Parliamentary Forum for AMR was launched during a three-day National World AMR Awareness Week conference.
- Capacity Strengthening: Promoting antimicrobial stewardship through the capacity strengthening programme, which includes: Offsite Placements (providing one-month offsite mentorship in antimicrobial stewardship); Travel Grants (ensuring knowledge exchange by enabling researchers to attend, disseminate, and receive feedback on their work); Fellowship Programme (Supporting researchers to implement quality improvement projects at their national sites).
The function was attended by delegates from across the country, including clinicians, policy makers, youth and adolescent AMR champion forum groups, and AMR community activists.
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, the Minister of Health, opened the conference where the Uganda National Action Plan for AMR (2024 to 2029) was launched. The Minister emphasised a need to break the shackles and have everyone involved in this fight. She called upon everyone to act now so that the commitments made during the 2024 UNGA High-level meeting on AMR political declaration are met.
Dr. Francis Kakooza, CAMO-Net project co-lead investigator at the IDI, gave a keynote address on AMR and the One Health Landscape. He re-echoed the need for multisectoral collaborations while harnessing the power of big data, research, and innovation for evidence-based action to address this #AMR threat.
