The United States Government, in collaboration with the Government of Uganda, today commissioned a newly constructed and upgraded laboratory at Kaabong General Hospital in the Karamoja Sub-region.
The U.S. Department of State invested approximately $400,000 to strengthen diagnostic capacity and improve the laboratory’s ability to detect and respond to HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and newborn conditions, and other infectious diseases, while strengthening surveillance and response systems across Kaabong and Karenga districts.
With the existing equipment, the laboratory runs about 62,000 tests annually across hematology, immunology, molecular, parasitology, serology, microbiology, and clinical chemistry platforms. The laboratory utilizes American-manufactured equipment, including GeneXpert (Cepheid, California) for tuberculosis molecular diagnosis, as well as Alere PIMA platforms, specifically the mPIMA for viral load testing and the CD4 PIMA for CD4 count testing (Abbott, Illinois).
The new laboratory building provides more space to place equipment, with capacity for further expansion, enabling the laboratory to run more tests in a shorter time frame . The laboratory was constructed by the U.S.-funded Uganda Health Activity (UHA), in partnership with the Ministry of Health Uganda.
It’s our hope that the GoU, through the MoH and Kaabong District Local Government, will ensure the long-term sustainability of this investment by allocating funds through routine Local Government budgets mechanism for infrastructure maintenance and utilities.
Ministry of Health will provide ongoing oversight and technical support through its Laboratory Department and Infrastructure divisions, while the district will manage day-to-day operations to ensure uninterrupted laboratory service delivery.
Mary Borgman, Global Health Diplomacy Director at the U.S. Embassy in Uganda, said: “This laboratory is a tangible demonstration of the United States’ commitment under the America First Global Health Strategy to protect lives by strengthening health systems where threats emerge, advancing early detection, reinforcing preparedness, and supporting sustainable, locally led solutions.”
This investment advances the Trump Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy by strengthening frontline health systems to detect, prevent, and respond to infectious disease threats before they spread within Uganda, across borders, or reach American shores.
The Kaabong laboratory upgrade complements broader U.S. investments in Uganda's health system, including digital health infrastructure, laboratory networks, and disease surveillance platforms.