Davidson Ndyabahika

Celebrating Davidson Ndyabahika's Contribution to MakSPH For six years, @dndyaba was the voice behind @Makerere University School Public Health's public face, translating complex research into narratives that reached policymakers, partners, and the public, building the School's visibility across Uganda and beyond, and doing all of it with professionalism, creativity, integrity, and unwavering commitment. His humility, reliability, and the positive energy he brought to our community have left a mark that will endure well beyond his time here. MakSPH is better for the six years you gave it, Davidson. Please join the School in wishing him every success in his next chapter. We are grateful he chose to spend this one with us.

🌍 MakSPH–Global Fund Webinar & Community of Practice Series *Turning Data into Decisions: A Regional Dialogue on Health Systems Impact* Across Africa, health systems generate more data today than ever before, yet the gap between collecting data and using it to drive real decisions remains one of the most persistent challenges in public health. Dashboards are built, indicators are tracked, reports are filed, but how often does that data actually change a policy, redirect resources, or improve a service at the point of care? Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), in partnership with The Global Fund, invites you to a timely and important conversation: "Stakeholder Engagement for Enhanced Health Data Use: Moving Beyond Data and Dashboards to Decisions, Policy and Action" This session brings together a distinguished panel of public health leaders, data specialists, and policymakers from Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria to interrogate what it truly takes to move routine health data from the screen to the system, into policy, planning, supervision, resource allocation, and frontline service delivery. Whether you are a programme manager wrestling with data quality, a policymaker shaping the next health sector plan, or a practitioner seeking to strengthen evidence-based decision-making, this is a conversation designed for you. Webinar Details Date: Thursday, 16 July 2026 Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EAT 🔗 Register: bit.ly/RoutineHealthDataUse Programme 🎤 Opening Remarks | Prof. Fred Wabwire 🎤 Keynote Address | Prof. Fredrick Makumbi 🎤 Moderated Discussion | Dr. Betty Kyaddondo 🌍 Regional Panel Perspectives ● Dr. Funmilola M. Olaolorun | Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria ● Dr. Stephen Karim | Deputy Director, Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health, Zimbabwe ● Mr. Paul Mbaka | Assistant Commissioner, Health Information Management, Ministry of Health, Uganda 🎤 Closing Remarks | Dr. Estifanos Shargie, The Global Fund We invite you to join this cross-country exchange of ideas, evidence, and experience, and to be part of the conversation shaping how Africa's health systems put data to work for better health outcomes. 📩 For more information, contact: Irene Wanyana, Regional Data Analytics Coordinator, MakSPH ✉️ [email protected] We look forward to your participation. #HealthData #PublicHealth #DataDrivenDecisions #HealthPolicy #Uganda #Zimbabwe #Nigeria

Today, March 31, 2026, Makerere University School of Public Health, through the MakSPH Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support (MakSPH-METS) Program, officially handed over national digital health systems and assets to the Ministry of Health at a ceremony held at the Ministry’s headquarters. This transition marks the culmination of 15 years of sustained investment of US$103.8 million by the US government through CDC and PEPFAR, partnership, and system strengthening. Established in 2010, the MakSPH-METS Program was designed to address long-standing gaps in Uganda’s health system, particularly fragmented data systems, limited coordination, and weak use of digital tools in decision-making. Over time, the program worked closely with the government to build a more connected, responsive, and data-driven health system. Working with partners, significant progress has been made in improving the accessibility, timeliness, and reliability of health data supporting better decision-making across the system. Disease surveillance has expanded considerably, with over 1,300 health facilities now implementing case-based surveillance, alongside strengthened capacity in HIV recency and mortality tracking. Reporting rates have improved from 58% in 2020 to 98% in 2025, while electronic medical record coverage has grown to over 86% nationwide. The handover included critical infrastructure such as 725 servers; more than 4,700 computing devices, including desktops, laptops, and tablets; solar power systems for nearly 800 health facilities; connectivity equipment for more than 1,300 sites; video conferencing systems; and upgrades to regional referral hospital networks, alongside skilled personnel to support these systems. All assets have now been fully transitioned to government ownership, with strengthened national capacity to manage and sustain them, supported by the United States Government through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) @CDCgov. As Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean of MakSPH and Principal Investigator of the program, noted, this moment goes beyond a transfer of assets. It reflects systems that have been co-created, embedded, and are now fully owned by the government @GovUganda. The ceremony was officiated by the @USAmbUganda, William W. Popp, and the Permanent Secretary, @MinofHealthUG, Dr. @DianaAtwine, DG. @olaro_charles PI @metsprogrammeugand Dean, @MakSPH @RhodaWanyenze Among the 16 systems transitioned are platforms supporting electronic medical records in health facilities; HIV case-based surveillance and dashboards; disease outbreak and respiratory illness tracking; stock monitoring for HIV, TB, reproductive health, and COVID-19 commodities; viral load and early infant diagnosis reporting; quality improvement monitoring; PEPFAR reporting; DREAMS tracking; ICT infrastructure management; e-learning; and health worker support systems.