Kampala, Uganda | Parliament has adopted a motion urging the government to recognise Sickle Cell Disease as a major public health concern and allocate increased funding to address its growing burden in Uganda.
The motion was moved by Bugiri Municipality legislator Asuman Basalirwa, who told the House that Uganda continues to register alarming numbers of sickle cell cases, with thousands of children dying each year due to limited access to early diagnosis and treatment.
Basalirwa said available national data indicates that the sickle cell trait prevalence stands at about 13.3%, meaning that one in every seven Ugandans carries the gene responsible for the disease.
He added that Uganda registers about 20,000 babies born with sickle cell disease annually, while between 6,000 and 9,000 children die before reaching their fifth birthday, largely due to delayed diagnosis and inadequate access to comprehensive care.
During the debate, Victor Nekesa, the representative of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in Parliament, called on Government to consider adopting modern reproductive technologies such as In Vitro Fertilisation to help couples who carry the sickle cell trait give birth to children without passing on the genetic disorder.
Nekesa said embracing such technologies could significantly reduce the number of children born with the disease in the long term.
Following debate, Parliament adopted the motion, calling on the government to strengthen prevention, screening, and treatment programmes while also increasing public awareness about the disease.
Responding to the concerns raised by MPs, Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua said the government is already integrating sickle cell services into the national health system through the Ministry of Health (Uganda).
Obua explained that the government is working to ensure the availability of essential medicines and is encouraging public-private partnerships to complement its efforts in sensitising communities about the disease.
Uganda is among the African countries with the highest burden of sickle cell disease, with the condition contributing significantly to deaths among children under five.
Health experts say Northern Uganda, particularly Lango subregion, records some of the highest prevalence rates in the country. Districts such as Alebtong District, Lira City, Dokolo District, and Oyam District have consistently been identified among the most affected areas.
The Ministry of Health (Uganda) has, in recent years, prioritised measures such as newborn screening, early diagnosis, and improved access to medicines as part of efforts to reduce the burden of the disease across the country.
