KAMPALA, UGANDA – Health experts have issued a stark warning that skin diseases caused by Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) can prevent countries from achieving universal healthcare, emphasizing that stronger local health clinics are essential to ensure no one is left behind.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The warning was delivered at the 16th Annual Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) NGO Network Conference, which began on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, and concludes today, Thursday, October 2, 2025, at Speke Resort in Munyonyo, Kampala.
The conference has brought together health leaders from more than 50 countries to forge better ways to fight NTDs, a group of sicknesses that primarily affect the world’s poorest communities.
In her opening address, Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, reaffirmed the country’s strong commitment to defeating these diseases.
“Uganda is firm in the fight against NTDs. We have proven our commitment through past successes, having eliminated Guinea Worm in 2009 and, 13 years later, making HAT Gambiense a disease of the past,” Dr. Aceng said.
She also detailed Uganda’s current strategy, which includes ensuring medicine and supplies reach everyone in need, computerizing health records at all local clinics, and training new community health workers to serve villages directly.
The executive secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, Ms. Joy Phumaphi, emphasized that political leaders are crucial in this fight.
“We need our leaders to accept that diseases of poverty are key drivers of development. If we leave a critical portion of the population behind, that defines our ethos, and for leaders, the ethos should be to leave no one behind,” Phumaphi stated.
In a sign of progress, Dr. Borna Nyaoke of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) reported that new treatments stand a strong chance of being added to the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines List.
Serving as a vital platform for collaboration, the three-day conference has enabled experts to exchange innovative ideas and proven strategies, uniting the global community in the mission to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases.
About the Author
