The CAMO-Net Uganda Hub has trained its first group of 62 community health workers to support antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) efforts at the grassroots level. These Village Health Team (VHT) members are now better equipped to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), educate households, and contribute to data collection on medicine use. This milestone marks the beginning of a phased engagement strategy that places VHTs at the heart of Uganda’s community-led response to AMR.
In 2001, the Ministry of Health, Uganda, introduced the scheme to provide basic healthcare and health information at a local level. VHTs are the first point of contact for many health-related issues, empowering communities to participate in health decisions and strengthening service delivery. They are responsible for delivering basic health services, including health education, disease prevention, basic prescriptions, health data collection, and referrals.
As part of its public and patient involvement and engagement strategy, the CAMO-Net Uganda Hub adopted a phased approach to working with VHTs. This initiative aims to:
- Jointly identify the challenges VHTs face in enforcing National Action Plan (NAP) guidelines on antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- Evaluate their current knowledge on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)
- Train them on AMS principles
- Provide Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials to support community awareness and education on AMR
- Leverage their capacity to collect data on household-level antimicrobial use.
The CAMO-Net Uganda Hub officially onboarded its first cohort of 62 VHTs in May 2025. During this session, the VHTs shared their experiences and challenges in implementing AMR containment initiatives at the community level. Facilitators led interactive sessions on the risk factors contributing to antimicrobial resistance and practical ways to prevent it.
The training also included a session led by Dr David Musoke, the President Elect of the International Federation of Environmental Health and an Associate Professor at Makerere University School of Public Health. Dr Musoke, shared valuable insights on how VHTs can effectively train their peers and expand awareness of AMS within their communities.
This milestone marks a significant step in strengthening Uganda’s grassroots capacity to combat AMR through informed, empowered, and well-equipped VHTs. The team looks forward to engaging these VHTs more frequently to provide continued education and to evaluate the effectiveness of their community training efforts. Additionally, the hub plans to leverage the VHT network to collect household-level data on antimicrobial use, which will inform future interventions and possible policy recommendations.
