After years of U.S.-backed investment, Uganda has formally taken control of its national digital health systems. The transfer marks a significant shift from external support to state ownership. The Ministry of Health symbolically received the digital health platforms, tools, and infrastructure developed under the 15-year MakSPH-METS Programme. Ambassador William W. Popp handed the systems to Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine at a ceremony in Kampala on March 31.
The transferred assets include more than 700 servers and over 4,700 computing devices. Solar power installations now serve hundreds of facilities. Network connectivity reaches more than 1,300 sites across the country. These assets support a suite of digital platforms that underpin clinical care, disease surveillance, and health reporting. Consequently, the digital health systems Uganda now operates represent a major investment in public health infrastructure.
Handover Ceremony Marks New Phase for Digital Health Systems Uganda
“This handover marks a new phase in national ownership and sustained self-reliance,” said Ambassador Popp. He noted that the METS programme strengthened Uganda’s HIV response and modernised national health information systems. However, its impact has extended much further. The programme supported emergency response capacity and integrated disease surveillance. It also improved infection prevention and helped build a skilled health workforce. These gains became evident during Uganda’s response to COVID-19.
Ambassador Popp explained that disease surveillance systems can now detect health trends earlier. They can also track deaths more accurately. “This strengthens Uganda’s ability to manage public health threats,” he said. The handover forms part of a broader five-year, U.S.$2.3 billion Memorandum of Understanding. Uganda and the United States signed this agreement in December 2025.
Origins of the Digital Health Systems Uganda Programme
Uganda’s digital health transformation began in the early 2000s. At that time, the country led the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Systems were built rapidly to respond to this emergency. Data collection relied almost entirely on paper. Reporting structures remained fragmented. Multiple partners operated parallel systems to meet urgent programme needs.
Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, remembers that period vividly. “I was in HIV care and the piles of paper that we used to have… huge, huge amounts of paper of patients, especially in chronic care like in HIV. It was a daunting task,” she said. The problem was not effort but visibility. Information existed, but it moved slowly. Fragmentation made decision-making difficult.
In 2010, the Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support (METS) programme began. Makerere University School of Public Health implemented this initiative to address systemic gaps. Its focus extended beyond technology. The programme targeted data governance, monitoring and evaluation, surveillance, and institutional capacity. Instead of building new systems outside government structures, the programme embedded itself within them. Therefore, sustainability remained a priority from the start.
Building Local Capacity, Not Just Technology
For Dr. Alice Namale, the Executive Director of the MakSPH-METS programme, the most important gains were not technological. “We’ve improved regional referral capacity and the district health team capacity to manage programmes through training, governance, leadership, and management,” she said. This investment translated into stronger oversight and programme management at decentralized levels.
“We’ve improved the quality of priority health services delivered in the health sector,” she added. “These systems are being leveraged and deployed by other disease programmes.” The programme functions as a platform that strengthens the broader health system. Its success depends heavily on partnership.
Professor Rhoda Wanyenze, the Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health, clarified the programme’s philosophy. “Our team at the school, the METS team, they know how many times I kept saying, this is not our data, this is not our house, this is Ministry of Health. I need to see you seated in the ministry, working with the ministry. I need to see the ministry in charge.” For her, the handover represented the fulfillment of a long-held dream.
The Future of Digital Health Systems Uganda
For Dr. Atwine, the real work begins after the ceremony. The digital health systems Uganda now owns require sustained investment and coordination. Managing infrastructure and ensuring functionality will demand constant attention. Integrating systems into national planning and budgeting processes remains essential. Retaining the human capital that made the transformation possible also presents a challenge.
“You have acquired a lot of skill,” she told the technical teams at the ceremony. “I pray that we don’t lose this important resource.” She described them as “the cream of the cream.” Their expertise will determine whether the systems continue to function and evolve. At the same time, she gave clear direction. “We are not going back. We are just moving ahead.”
Across Uganda, the hum of servers now reaches far beyond a central data centre. Hospitals, health centres, and districts capture, transmit, and analyze data in real time. Some clinicians rely fully on digital systems. In other facilities, paper files still line the shelves. The transition remains uneven, and the work continues. Nevertheless, something fundamental has shifted. What began as a donor-supported programme has become a nationally owned system. In that shift from building to sustaining, from support to stewardship, Uganda’s digital health transformation enters its most consequential phase yet.
