Uganda has recorded a notable decline in new malaria and HIV infections during the 2025/26 financial year, alongside improvements in tuberculosis treatment and maternal health outcomes, according to the country's annual health sub-programme performance report.
Key Disease Indicators Improve
Malaria incidence dropped from 261 to 223 cases per 1,000 people, while HIV incidence fell from 1.23 to 0.71 per 1,000 people. The tuberculosis treatment success rate climbed from 86% to 92%, and viral suppression among people living with HIV reached 97%. Retention on antiretroviral therapy (ART) also rose to 83%.
Health minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi launched the report on November 4, 2026, at an event held at Speke Resort Hotel in Munyonyo. The assessment tracks health sector performance across a range of indicators.
Maternal and Newborn Health Gains
Facility-based deliveries increased from 1.49 million to 1.69 million, with Health Centre IIIs and IVs accounting for 69% of births recorded in health facilities. The Service Availability and Readiness Index, which measures health facilities' capacity to provide essential services, improved from 49% to 59%.
The institutional maternal mortality ratio declined from 83 to 61.7 deaths per 100,000 deliveries, while the institutional perinatal mortality rate fell from 15.4 to 13.7 deaths per 1,000 deliveries.
Medicines and Digital Health Expand
Availability of essential medicines improved, with the proportion of facilities meeting tracer medicine requirements rising from 22% to 42%. The electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS), a digital platform that enables community health workers to capture and report household and patient information, expanded from 24 to 56 districts. Electronic medical records also expanded from 56 to 138 public health facilities.
Challenges Remain
Despite the gains in immunisation, access to health services, sanitation and health facility readiness, the report noted that health financing, staffing and access to some essential services remained major challenges.
The findings offer a mixed picture for Uganda's health sector, with strong progress on disease control and maternal care set against persistent structural constraints that officials will need to address in the coming year.
