“RHD is a big problem here – it causes a lot of mortality. We have convened this meeting to find a way forward”, said Dr Emmy Okello, an interventional cardiologist at the Uganda Heart Institute, in his opening remarks to the RHD Uganda Stakeholders’ Meeting.
Taking place from 2-3 November 2017 at the Protea Hotel in Kampala, Uganda, the meeting was held to both review progress achieved in delivering RHD services throughout Uganda in recent years, and to give attendees an opportunity to discuss how they could engage new partners in the fight against rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The meeting was co-organized by a number of partners, including RHD Action – of which the World Heart Federation is a founding member – the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI), Children’s National Health System, and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).
Jeremiah Mwangi, representing the World Heart Federation and RHD Action, offered participants a global perspective by underlining the importance of a WHO Resolution on ‘Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease’. Praising Uganda’s role in bringing RHD to the attention of policy makers, he stated that “a global Resolution would give WHO the mandate to work on rheumatic fever and RHD to support countries who want to establish national programmes”.
You can read more about discussions at the meeting below the pictures.
More pictures from the event
