The much awaited Cuban Doctors have finally arrived in Uganda, but not to immediately start working in hospitals as per the belief of many.
President Yoweri Museveni received at State House, Entebbe, a team of Cuban scientists led by Dr. Hector Luis Machado Morales, who are on a 10-day visit to work their Ugandan counterparts to develop a strategy of bringing Gavac anti-tick vaccine into the country quickly.
The Cuban scientists, who were accompanied by their Ugandan counterparts led by Prof. Anthony Mugisha, are from the Heber Biotec S.A. firm in Havana. The two scientific teams are scheduled to work together to concretize the importation of Gavac anti-tick vaccine into Uganda under emergency arrangements with a view to monitoring and evaluating its efficacy.
Mr. Museveni urged the scientists to expend their efforts in the fight against ticks in Uganda.
Prof. Anthony Mugisha informed the President that the Programme implementation will begin with the hard hit districts in the country targeting 500,000 cattle.
Available research statistics indicate that Uganda is one of the countries hardest hit by the tick borne diseases with more than 30% of the livestock lost to tick borne diseases.
State Minister for Animal Industry, Hon. Joy Kabatsi, has already constituted an inter-institutional team of scientists from Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and National Animal Genetic Resource Centre, to work with the Cuban team of scientists.
President Museveni recently faced criticism from the public, when he threatened to replace Ugandan doctors, who have on several occasions protested poor pay, with Cuban doctors.