By Ben MusanjeHealth Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi has called on Parliament to support the establishment of a dedicated, ring-fenced budget for epidemic preparedness, saying sustained domestic financing is critical to safeguarding Uganda’s health security against future disease outbreaks.Presenting a statement on the status of the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease (BEVD) outbreak to Parliament on Wednesday, Baryomunsi said the government intends to create the budget line under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework beginning in the 2026/27 financial year.The minister said the proposal is informed by lessons learned from Uganda’s response to successive public health emergencies, including the current Ebola outbreak, which has demonstrated the value of investing in preparedness before crises occur.“I therefore call upon this House to support the Government’s commitment to establishing a dedicated, ring-fenced budget line for epidemic preparedness within the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework commencing Financial Year 2026/2027,” Baryomunsi told Parliament.He argued that sustainable domestic financing for epidemic preparedness would be the country’s most important structural reform in strengthening national health security.“Sustainable domestic financing for preparedness is the most important structural reform we can make to protect Uganda’s health security,” he said.Dr. Baryomunsi warned that the financial and economic consequences of uncontrolled epidemics far outweigh the cost of maintaining a well-prepared public health system.“The economic cost of an uncontrolled epidemic—in lives, livelihoods, trade, tourism and investor confidence—vastly exceeds the cost of maintaining readiness,” he said.The minister said the proposed funding would enable the Ministry of Health to sustain emergency preparedness by maintaining strategic stockpiles of personal protective equipment, laboratory consumables, intravenous fluids, blood products and therapeutic agents.He said the ministry also plans to keep national and regional Rapid Response Teams on standby and maintain enhanced surveillance systems to ensure early detection and rapid containment of future outbreaks.The former ICT and National Guidance Minister noted that Uganda’s response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak had demonstrated the benefits of years of investment in surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, community health structures and emergency coordination.The outbreak, declared on May 15, 2026, has so far recorded 20 confirmed cases, with 18 patients recovering and being discharged, representing a 90 percent recovery rate. Two deaths have been recorded, resulting in a 10 percent case fatality rate, significantly lower than the historical fatality rate of between 25 and 36 percent for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.He told Parliament that all 836 identified contacts had completed the mandatory 21-day follow-up period, while no new confirmed case had been recorded in the past 21 days.According to the minister, Uganda has now entered the final 42-day countdown required by the World Health Organization before the outbreak can officially be declared over.Despite the encouraging progress, Baryomunsi cautioned that Uganda remains at risk because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which continues to pose a threat of cross-border importation.He said the Ministry of Health will therefore maintain 24-hour emergency operations, strengthen cross-border surveillance, continue active case searches and preserve emergency response capacity until the outbreak is officially declared over.The minister added that once the outbreak ends, the ministry will conduct a comprehensive After-Action Review to document lessons learned, strengthen national response systems and update standard operating procedures for future public health emergencies. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).