Building resilience: Why Uganda must invest in its own laboratory systems

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OPINION

By Caroline Musubika

The persistent issue of critically low funding for laboratory services in Uganda undermines national efforts in disease diagnosis and control. While acknowledging the crucial role of donor support to date, the long-term sustainability and comprehensive effectiveness of our health system require a fundamental shift towards greater government investment in strengthening laboratory infrastructure.

Robust laboratory capacity is indispensable for accurate diagnosis, effective disease surveillance, and guiding appropriate treatment. However, many laboratories across Uganda continue to struggle with outdated technology, insufficient resources, and a lack of trained leaders. Current donor funding, while significant for specific diseases such as HIV, TB, Malaria, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Preventable Diseases, often creates silos and leaves critical gaps in addressing emerging threats like antimicrobial resistance, Non-Communicable Diseases, Neglected tropical Diseases, and Zoonotic Diseases.

The heavy reliance on external partners to provide much-needed laboratory equipment and support to the national specimen referral "hub system" (a centrally organised laboratory network in which upgraded hospital laboratories (hubs) provide diagnostic services to nearby health facilities creates vulnerability. If this funding were withdrawn, the delivery of diagnostic services could be severely disrupted.

According to a scientific study about Uganda’s laboratory human resource in the era of global health initiatives, a significant number of skilled laboratory professionals are employed under donor-supported contracts, reflecting limited long-term government investment in human resources.

To truly build a resilient and responsive laboratory system capable of addressing both current and future health challenges, Uganda must prioritise and sustain its own financial investment in laboratory infrastructure, equipment upgrades, and the development of a skilled, government-supported workforce. Long-term national financing is the key to ensuring a self-reliant and effective laboratory network.

The writer is a Laboratory Leadership Fellow at the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Ministry of health and a Laboratory advisor at Makerere Biomedical Research Centre. These are not views of the institutions but rather the author’s.