The Ministry of Health has launched the m-PIMA analyser, a portable point-of-care diagnostic machine aimed at improving access to HIV testing and monitoring services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
Speaking at the launch in Butabika, Minister of State for Health in charge of General Duties, Hon. Hanifa Kawooya, said the technology is part of the Government's efforts to strengthen Uganda's laboratory and diagnostic services.
Kawooya commended the partnership between the Government and development partners that has supported the expansion of modern laboratory services in the country.
"We are proud of this facility and the people who have made it to this stage. There is no single person, institution or government that can drive anything within the health sector alone. We move together as partners," she said.
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The Minister thanked development partners, including Abbott, for supporting Uganda's efforts to decentralise diagnostic services and bring testing closer to communities.
She said the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of partnerships in strengthening health systems.
"No country can change the well-being of its people when you are moving alone. You have to move as partners," Kawooya said.
The m-PIMA analyser is a portable molecular testing platform designed to support HIV early infant diagnosis and viral-load testing at the point of care.
According to Abbott, the analyser can deliver molecular HIV test results in less than 60 minutes, potentially enabling health workers to make treatment decisions during the same visit.
The m-PIMA HIV-1/2 Detect test provides molecular HIV results in less than an hour, which can help reduce delays in diagnosing HIV among infants and improve linkage to care.
Kawooya said decentralising HIV testing and monitoring services is critical to ensuring that patients, particularly those in underserved communities, do not have to travel long distances or wait for extended periods to receive results.
"Quality diagnostic services improve clinical care across the population in Uganda," she said.
She also thanked health workers from regional referral hospitals who participated in the programme, saying their experience would help demonstrate the impact of the technology on service delivery.
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Uganda has previously deployed m-PIMA analysers alongside other point-of-care platforms as part of efforts to improve early infant HIV diagnosis and decentralise viral-load testing.
Studies of Uganda's experience with point-of-care testing have found that the approach can shorten the time between sample collection, receipt of results and initiation of treatment.
Kawooya urged the Ministry of Health and its partners to continue strengthening laboratory systems, saying the ultimate goal should remain improving the health and well-being of Ugandans.
"Whatever we do as a family, we should have the well-being of our population. That is why we are here," she said.
The m-PIMA HIV testing technology is WHO-prequalified for molecular HIV testing, including HIV-1/2 detection and viral-load monitoring.
