Health Minister Pledges Support for Medicine Distribution, Warns Against Leakages

The Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, has reiterated the Government's commitment to improving the availability, distribution and management of medicines and medical supplies across the country. Baryomunsi commended the Joint Medical Store (JMS) and its partners for ensuring the timely delivery of medicines and other medical commodities to private not-for-profit health facilities and some government health facilities nationwide. He made the remarks during the launch of the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS) Smart Project at the JMS warehouse in Nsambya, Kampala. The Minister attributed JMS's performance to the dedication of its management and staff, whom he said had worked tirelessly to ensure the institution delivered services beyond public expectations. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines "Faith-based medical bureaux, through their infrastructure and systems, treat and manage about 40 percent of the country's population. We appreciate the work they do, and JMS over the past years has grown into an institution that has opened branches in various parts of the country," Baryomunsi said. He pledged continued government support to JMS through the Ministry of Health, noting that the institution plays a significant role in Uganda's health sector. However, Baryomunsi expressed concern over alleged leakages of medicines and other health commodities within the public health supply chain. While acknowledging the performance of JMS and the National Medical Stores (NMS) in distributing medical supplies, he said the efforts of the two institutions were being undermined by individuals at some government health facilities. "There have been concerns that as drugs move from stores to health facilities, there are some leakages as they are transported from stores to wards and from wards to patients. We are carrying out internal investigations to establish whether these leakages are taking place and who is responsible," he said. He warned that anyone found responsible would face appropriate disciplinary and legal action. Meanwhile, JMS Executive Director Dr. Bildard Baguma said the Smart Project would run for six months, from September 9, 2026, to March 3, 2027. He said the project aims to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of Uganda's private not-for-profit health sector in delivering essential health services, particularly through improvements in the warehousing and distribution of health commodities. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Baguma added that the project would support the upgrading of JMS software to facilitate integration with other health information systems and health facilities. He said the integration would strengthen Uganda's capacity to respond to pandemic outbreaks and other public health emergencies. Read the original article on Nile Post . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja,