In a busy dental sanatorium, a dentist reasonably prepares a dental amalgam, a common cloth used for fillings. This amalgam, a mix of metals including mercury, has been broadly used in dental practices for a few years due to its sturdiness and value-effectiveness.
Nonetheless, the very mercury that helps restore smiles, poses a soundless but potent menace to human health and the environment. Identified by the World Well being Organization (WHO) as one of the top ten chemicals of fundamental public health concern, mercury’s spoiled presence and continued spend in health care settings requires urgent and strategic action.
In response, WHO and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) maintain embarked on a transformative streak thru the World Environment Facility (GEF) project, piloted in five countries, including Uganda. The five-year GEF project seeks to eradicate uncontrolled launch of mercury from mercury containing sphygmomanometers (blood stress measuring gadgets) and thermometers in healthcare settings, thereby safeguarding both human and environmental health. This brave project is guided by the expertise of the UNEP World mercury partnership and overseen by devoted steering committees at both world and national ranges.
In Uganda, Ministry of Well being (MOH) and the Ministry of Water and Environment (MoWE), alongside the National Environment Administration Authority (NEMA), are the main authorities entities for the project. Their collaborative efforts will foster a culture of safety inside healthcare settings.
By this initiative, WHO is devoted to preserving those most in probability, akin to teenagers and pregnant females, from the spoiled effects of mercury. We’re committed to making a future the place both our health and the environment are safe and thriving,” said Dr. Suraj Man Shrestha, Programme Administration Officer at WHO Uganda. “By casting off mercury from medical gadgets, we intention to produce clear healthcare settings are safer for everyone and that our environment is free from toxic pollution.”
Two pilot health services and products within the country will abet from substitution of mercury medical gadgets with mercury-free ones. These consist of a public and a non-public not for profit medical institution. In April 2025, a crew comprising WHO Uganda country office, Ministry of Well being, and NEMA staffs visited the 2 pilot services and products—Mbarara Regional Referral Sanatorium in southwestern Uganda and St. Francis Sanatorium, Nsambya in Kampala—to place the amount of mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers to get replaced with mercury-free gadgets. The crew plans to talk over with Luweero Industries’ storage facility in Nakasongola district to place procedures for storing mercury raze from the pilot services and products.
Information from these processes will likely be used to impart the national inventory and situation evaluate to be conducted later this year. In addition, the diagnosis will information the country on the costs related to substitution, storage and ultimate disposal of mercury containing medical gadgets in health services and products across Uganda.
“On the entire, the project plans to phase out mercury-added medical measuring gadgets at a rate of 20% per year within the future of the five years, said Maureen Nyonyintono, the WHO Uganda project focal person. “By collaborative efforts with MoH, MoWE and key stakeholders, the project has included the Minamata Convention provisions for mercury and acceptable raze administration into the national environmental approach.”
As Uganda strikes towards a future with out mercury, the blended efforts of WHO, UNEP, and national companions convey hope and strength to the country. Each mercury system that’s replaced with a safer different marks a distinguished step towards preserving the health of Ugandans and holding the environment. This streak towards a mercury-free Uganda is a testament to the vitality of collaboration and commitment to a more fit, safer tomorrow.
