By George Bukenya
The Minister of Health has warned the public on the dangers of self medication specifically on the on the use of anti-malarial medicines, cough drugs and other antibiotics which the experts say , cause drug resistance and jeopardize the effective treatment when one because sick again.
The caution was made by Dr. Sarah Taratwebire, a pharmacist from the Ministry of Health while speaking to reporters at the launch of the 5th edition of the Uganda Pharma Health Care 2026 at Uganda Media Centre on Wednesday.
Dr. Taratwebire urged the public to always seek proper diagnosis from qualified medical personnel before taking any medication when they feel unwell.
“ When someone does self-medication, he/she ends up making wrong treatment or what isn’t right and when this is done persistently the drugs will not be working for him/her while trying to treat the real disease that is prescribed for in future,’’ Dr. Taratwebire said.
She further said that experts have discover resistance in some pharmaceuticals especially those used for treatment of malaria, cough and flue, although there are a few drugs where you may not need experts to prescribe for you.
The three days Uganda Pharma HealthCare 2026 event that will take place at Lugogo UMA based Show Grounds will attract key stake holders from the pharmaceutical industry and also from health care sector. It will be run under the theme; ‘’Strengthening access, quality and sustainability in the Healthcare’’.
Singh Dignjcy , the Executive Director of ETSIPL a representative of the event’s International Partners from India said , this edition is aimed at showcasing the latest innovations in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and healthcare solutions.
This according to the organisers is Uganda’s largest specialised international healthcare exhibition and will attract 100 companies from countries such as India, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Kenya and Vietnam.
Participants are drawn from the manufacturing, distributors and service providers across the healthcare value chain, while focusing on innovation, partnerships and knowledge sharing.
The Executive Director of Uganda Manufacturers Association, Dr. Ezra Muhumuza said that Uganda has made a significant improvement in the pharmaceutical productions, thus reducing on the reliance on imports.
“ Uganda used to import almost every medical supply ranging from syringes, gloves, and cotton. Today I can proudly state that these are produced locally, we now even manufacture diagnostic kits for malaria, HIV and sickle cell,’’ Dr. Muhumuza revealed.
He further said, “ Uganda’s experts are now making research leading to manufacturing of vaccines such that in future we can be able to mitigate the disease outbreaks and become self sustaining.’’
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Healthcare Federation, Grace Kiwanuka said that, the exhibition will offer a platform for deepening investment and partnerships in the sector.