The Ministry of Health has begun training health workers and other stakeholders in Kayunga District ahead of a community-wide mosquito net distribution campaign aimed at strengthening malaria prevention.
The training is intended to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to conduct an effective distribution exercise, while improving data collection, monitoring and accountability through digital technology.
Allan Mayambala, the head of the Ministry of Health team and project supervisor, said the exercise would incorporate mobile phones and a digital application under the Electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) to simplify data collection and improve the accuracy of information gathered during distribution.
Speaking at the district headquarters in Ntenjeru, Mayambala said the digital system would enable health workers to capture and manage information more efficiently, making it easier to monitor the campaign and ensure that mosquito nets reach their intended beneficiaries.
He added that the approach would reduce challenges associated with manual data collection and improve the availability of reliable information for decision-making.
Meanwhile, Isaac Kakungulu, Kayunga District’s malaria focal person, said the Ministry of Health had delivered 471,400 mosquito nets for distribution to communities across the district.
Kakungulu said the nets were awaiting distribution to households as part of the government’s efforts to prevent malaria infections and protect residents against mosquito bites.
He emphasised the importance of preparing community health structures to ensure the exercise runs smoothly and households receive the nets allocated to them.
The training brought together the district malaria focal person, district biostatistician, district health educator and Deputy Resident District Commissioner, among other stakeholders expected to support the campaign.
Village Health Teams (VHTs), who will play a central role in reaching households, are also scheduled to undergo training to prepare them for managing the distribution exercise at community level.
The training is expected to equip VHTs to work with other health officials to mobilise residents, collect household data and distribute the nets in an orderly and accountable manner.
The campaign forms part of the government’s broader efforts to reduce malaria in Uganda through preventive interventions, community mobilisation and improved access to insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
Health authorities will depend on community participation and the consistent, correct use of the nets to achieve the campaign’s objectives, particularly in protecting vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women.