Mukono District has received four motorcycles from the Ministry of Health, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to strengthen childhood immunisation, improve vaccine delivery and expand healthcare outreach, particularly in hard-to-reach communities, including the Koome Islands.
The motorcycles are expected to improve health workers’ mobility, facilitate timely vaccine transportation and bring essential immunisation services closer to families across Mukono District and Mukono Municipal Council.
The motorcycles were officially commissioned and flagged off by the Mukono Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Hajjati Fatuma Ndisaba Nabitaka, who handed them over to the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO), Stephen Muhumuza.
They were subsequently allocated to health facility in-charges serving Goma, Koome, Kasawo and Kojja to support immunisation campaigns and community health outreach programmes.
The beneficiary facilities are Goma Health Centre III, Koome Health Centre III, Kasawo Health Centre IV and Kojja Health Centre IV. The motorcycles will facilitate door-to-door vaccination campaigns, vaccine transportation and access to children in remote and underserved communities.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mukono District Health Officer Dr Stephen Mulindwa said the motorcycles would strengthen immunisation services and help protect children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
“The motorcycles will facilitate timely vaccine delivery, improve access to immunisation services and strengthen our efforts to protect children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” Mulindwa said.
Mukono District LCV Chairperson Francis Lukooya Mukoome commended the Government of Uganda for its continued investment in healthcare delivery and childhood immunisation.
He described vaccination as a cost-effective public health intervention, noting that preventing diseases through immunisation was more affordable than treating children after they fell sick.
Lukooya also called for additional government support to address communication challenges affecting health workers at sub-county and lower administrative levels. He reaffirmed the district leadership’s commitment to ensuring that the motorcycles were properly utilised to improve service delivery.
In her remarks, RDC Nabitaka thanked the government and the Ministry of Health for providing the motorcycles, saying the support would strengthen healthcare delivery across the district’s 18 sub-counties.
She urged health workers to use the motorcycles strictly for official duties, including immunisation campaigns, patient visits and other authorised health-related activities.
“These motorcycles have been provided to improve health service delivery and take immunisation services closer to our people. I urge all health workers to use them responsibly and strictly for official duties. They should not be used for personal errands or transporting private goods,” Nabitaka cautioned.
The RDC also called on parents, guardians and school administrators to cooperate with health teams and ensure that all eligible children receive their vaccines, regardless of where they access immunisation services.
She encouraged parents whose children had missed scheduled vaccinations to take them to the nearest health facility, emphasising that vaccines remained available.
“All eligible children must receive their vaccines. Parents and school administrators should work closely with health workers to ensure that no child misses the opportunity to be immunised,” she said.
Nabitaka further urged relevant government authorities to strengthen public awareness of immunisation programmes and ensure compliance with applicable vaccination requirements. She warned that schools obstructing lawful vaccination activities could face enforcement action in accordance with the law.
She stressed that improving immunisation coverage required collective responsibility among parents, schools, health workers, community leaders and government institutions.
Mukono District Local Government also called on parents, guardians, school administrators and community leaders to support vaccination programmes by ensuring that all eligible children are immunised. Communities were encouraged to cooperate with health workers during village and door-to-door outreach activities, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.
The district expects the four motorcycles to improve health workers’ mobility, strengthen vaccine delivery, reduce missed vaccinations and expand access to essential childhood immunisation services.