Vision Reporter
3 February 2008
Kampala — THE World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, has advised the Government to address weaknesses in the health policy framework and inject more money in local initiatives if the country is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Sambo was here on government invitation for a four-day working visit.
It was his first official visit to Uganda since he assumed office in February 2005.
While meeting ministers and top officials from the Ministry of Health, directors of Mulago Hospital, Butabika Mental Hospital, Joint Clinical Research Centre, the Uganda Virus Research Institute and the Blood Transfusion Services, Sambo said: "Advocacy should be about translating the policy framework to the grassroots and mobilising funds for community primary healthcare initiatives like village health teams."
Sambo said the region was still faced with challenges in the management of HIV/AIDS.
He advised health workers to take the lead in breaking confidentiality if Uganda is to register significant progress in Prevention of Mother To Child Transmissions and Voluntary Counselling and Testing.
"I came to explore ways of strengthening relations between Uganda and the WHO. I will look at issues relating to disease control, improving maternal and child health, research plus the general state of health in the country," Sambo earlier said on arrival at Entebbe International airport.
The 56-year Angolan is a medical doctor who, studied in the University of Angola and "Universitade Nova de Lisboa" Portugal in 1977.
In 1988, he completed a post-graduate study in Public Health at the College of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Angola and has also attended professional courses in public health at The Johns Hopkins University, USA, and the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Sambo, beat three other contestants for the high profile job, including our own Dr Francis Gervase Omaswa. He has over 25-years of professional experience in the field of public health, 15 of which were spent at WHO.
When he joined in 1989 as Chief of the Inter-country strategic support team in Harare, Zimbabwe, he was responsible for the technical coordination of the support provided to the countries of southern Africa.
Before joining WHO, he had served his native Angola in various capacities as Vice-Minister of Health, Director of Human Resources for Health, Director of International Cooperation, Director of Health Services in Cabinda province, and District Medical Officer in Luanda Province.
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