Photo taken October 27, 2022, shows Jane Apunyo, head nurse Mubende referral hospital during a night … [+]
Governments have often failed their citizens during health crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic. But in the ongoing outbreak of Ebola, Uganda is doing it right.
There are many reasons why governments fail to effectively communicate with their citizens during public health crises. Some, such as the priority of dealing with the crisis at hand, are understandable. Another is disorganization arising from the “fog of war” in the battle against an emerging pathogen. Others, such as protection from accountability, are more insidious. All are inexcusable.
Uganda is doing things very differently.
Public education
The candor and compassion of public health messaging has been impressive. Fact sheets, featuring images of officials that are both deeply humanizing and authoritative, have been published that address common misconceptions.
In Uganda, fact sheets, featuring images of officials that are both deeply humanizing and … [+]
A hotline has been set up and the Ministry of Health is publishing statistics and information.
The official Ministry of Health Twitter handle is very active.
The Minister for Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, also tweets regularly from her own account. Her Twitter profile boldly states that she is “Wife. Mother. Grandmother”. She is a person first, not a talking head.
The incident commander charged with overseeing the response, Henry Kyobe Bosa, also posts regularly to Twitter. His moving editorial in the New York Times is an example of clarity, honesty, and heart.
Data
Perhaps the most impressive component of Uganda’s public communication has been its transparency with data. Information enables individuals and organizations to make good decisions. Information enables the people to hold their officials accountable. In today’s information economy, information is power.
It would be easy to suppress the data, but Uganda and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa are not doing that. Every few days a new SitRep, short for “Situation Report”, is released on a website.
The reports contain all manner of information and numerical data, including statistics like the number of newly confirmed cases, the number of deaths, and the number of healthcare workers that have become infected. The SitReps also include information about case management, like the bed capacity of Ebola treatment units, and the ongoing contact tracing program.
Publicly available data, provided by the Uganda Ministry of Health and World Health Organization … [+]
Almost certainly, the data are not perfect. But, my goodness, they have the aroma of transparency. Kudos to you, Mr. Bosa, Dr. Aceng, and your colleagues. You are an inspiration.
