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Inside Health

E.Africa

Key Regional Updates On Health

East Africa’s health sector is navigating a mix of infectious disease risks, health system reforms, financing shifts, and growing innovation in digital and preventive health. Governments and partners are pushing system strengthening, while outbreaks and workforce pressures continue to test preparedness.

In December, the United States signed a series of bilateral health cooperation agreements with 14 African countries, reshaping how health aid, disease surveillance, and domestic financing will interact over the next five years. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs) outline US financial support in exchange for faster disease outbreak reporting, expanded digital surveillance, and increased domestic health spending, often alongside broader trade and geopolitical interests

Inside Health Desk | East Africa. Urge- DevWire

Insecticide-Treated Baby Wraps Cut Malaria Cases by Two-Thirds in Uganda

Novel cholera vaccine shows promise in phase 1 trial

A new study in rural western Uganda finds that treating baby-carrying cloths, or lesu, with an insecticide with modest repellent effect significantly reduces malaria infections in young children.

Gates Foundation and Open AI Launch $50m AI Health Pilot in Africa, Starting with Rwanda

Oral cholera vaccines have played a critical role in efforts to prevent and control the severe and potentially life-threatening diarrheal disease. But they could be better.

Kenya Tightens Licensing Rules, Prioritizing Local Health Workforce

“Qualified Kenyans must come first, regional commitments will be respected, and foreign engagement will be permitted only where it adds clear value to the health system.”

Photo by: Tonya Latorre,

 By Health Policy Watch

Inside Health Desk | East Africa. Urge- DevWire

What is Making The Headlines

US–Africa Health MOUs Signal New Era of Aid, Surveillance, and Geopolitics

The Gates Foundation and OpenAI have announced a $50 million pilot initiative aimed at advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare delivery across Africa. The initiative, known as Horizon 1000, will provide funding, technology, and technical support to deploy AI-enabled solutions in 1,000 primary healthcare clinics by 2028.

Courtesy Photo

 Gates Foundation

Inside Health Desk | East Africa. Urge- DevWire

Kenya

Kenya continues to advance Universal Health Coverage reforms, with renewed focus on benefit design, provider payments, and public–private collaboration. The rollout of long-acting HIV prevention tools is expanding options beyond daily oral PrEP, while digital health platforms for diagnostics and telemedicine are gaining traction, raising fresh questions around regulation and interoperability.

Sources: Nation Africa; Ministry of Health Kenya

Uganda

Uganda is intensifying investments in maternal and child health, particularly at primary and community levels. Disease surveillance systems are also being strengthened to improve early detection and response, building on experience from Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.

Sources: Daily Monitor; Ministry of Health Uganda

Tanzania

Tanzania is scaling up primary healthcare infrastructure and workforce training, especially in rural areas. Parallel efforts to stabilise health supply chains aim to reduce essential medicine stock-outs that continue to affect service delivery.

Sources: The Citizen Tanzania; Ministry of Health Tanzania

Rwanda

Rwanda maintains momentum in health insurance coverage and digital health integration, reinforcing its reputation for data-driven health policy. Regional collaboration on disease surveillance and workforce development remains a priority.

Sources: The New Times Rwanda; Ministry of Health Rwanda

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