The governments of Uganda and Italy have launched the PRISMA Project, a €12.75 million initiative aimed at improving prevention, research and integrated services in maternal, child and cancer care. The 36-month project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will operate in West Nile, Acholi, Lango and Karamoja, benefiting over 500,000 women and children.
The PRISMA Project builds on 60 years of Italian-Ugandan medical partnership and seeks to strengthen community health networks and referral hospitals, including St Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Gulu, Dr Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital in Kalongo and Matany Hospital in Karamoja. According to John Makoha, Country Representative of the AVSI Foundation in Uganda, a health system is strongest when quality of care is not determined by where a person lives or their circumstances.
The project focuses on maternal, newborn and child health, aiming to prevent patients from being lost along the way from village health teams to regional referral centres. It also addresses cancer, improving early detection and referral for cervical cancer, breast cancer and Burkitt lymphoma in children, in partnership with the Uganda Cancer Institute.
A key component of PRISMA is a partnership between the University of Milano-Bicocca and Gulu University, aimed at growing expertise in Uganda. Giuseppe Gorini, Vice Rector for International Development and Academic Cooperation at Milano-Bicocca, noted that universities have a role beyond the lecture hall, combining education, research, care and innovation to reinforce one another.
Health Minister Hon Dr Chris Baryomunsi welcomed the project, thanking Italy for its support and highlighting the urgent need for improved maternal, child and cancer care in Uganda. With a population growing at 3.2% a year and an average of 5.2 children per woman, maternal and child health remain national priorities.
Uganda has made progress in reducing maternal mortality, from 700 to about 200 deaths per 100,000 live births, but Dr Baryomunsi emphasized that more work is needed, stating that “nobody should die when they are giving birth.” The PRISMA Project aims to contribute to this effort, working towards zero maternal deaths.
The project will run until June 2029, and if successful, will enable women in remote villages to access a health system that reaches them, rather than having to struggle to reach it.
Key points
- The PRISMA Project aims to benefit over 500,000 women and children in Uganda.
- The project focuses on improving maternal, newborn and child health, as well as cancer care.
- The initiative is a partnership between the governments of Uganda and Italy, with academic and civil society partners.
