Uganda has received a consignment of Hepatitis C drugs from Egypt, sufficient to treat 500 patients. The drugs were handed over on Monday morning at Entebbe International Airport by General Mohamed Ashraf of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service (GIS), which oversees the factory that manufactures the drugs.
The consignment was received by Maj Gen BD Mugisha, the Commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), on behalf of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Other officials present at the handover included Col McDans Kamugira, the CDF’s Military Assistant, and Dr. Charles Olaro from the Ministry of Health.
This delivery follows discussions held in October during Gen Kainerugaba’s visit to Egypt. During the visit, he met with Maj Gen Abbel Kamal, the then Director-General of GIS, to address Uganda’s need for Hepatitis C drugs.
Although Gen Kamal has since been succeeded by Gen Hassan Rashad, the partnership between Uganda and Egypt has continued, resulting in this delivery.
This consignment of drugs builds on the growing cooperation between Uganda and Egypt in the fields of health and agriculture. Recently, Uganda also received vaccines and equipment from Egypt to combat Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), benefiting the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries.
During his visit to Cairo, Gen Kainerugaba also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations across various sectors.
These initiatives highlight the proactive engagement between the Chief of Defence Forces and Egyptian authorities in addressing Uganda’s health needs and enhancing cooperation between the two nations.
