As Uganda intensifies its malaria elimination efforts, Solomon Muhumuza, a digital health expert working closely with the Ministry of Health, has called for the urgent development of a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Implementation Framework. Speaking during a World Malaria Day webinar hosted by Makerere AI Health Lab and the Malaria Consortium, Muhumuza underscored the need to align emerging AI tools with Uganda’s broader health and malaria elimination strategies.

Muhumuza explained that although the Uganda Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan acknowledges the use of digital tools, specific guidance on the integration of AI falls under the country’s Digital Health Strategic Plan. This plan, particularly under Strategic Objective Six, emphasizes the importance of leveraging research and innovation to inform policy and integrate new technologies into healthcare delivery.

With Uganda’s current Ministry of Health Strategic Plan set to end in June, Muhumuza highlighted this as a crucial moment for stakeholders to engage the government and advocate for the inclusion of AI priorities in the next cycle of strategic planning. “If AI is to be a national priority, it must be costed, budgeted, and aligned within our health sector plans from the outset,” he stated.

Emphasizing the need to adopt affordable and scalable AI models, Muhumuza noted that Uganda’s limited infrastructure and workforce capacity necessitate prioritizing high-impact, low-cost use cases. He identified malaria diagnosis and surveillance as ideal starting points, citing the daily loss of life—particularly among children under five—as a compelling reason to accelerate deployment.

Muhumuza stressed that AI models deployed in Uganda must be offline-capable and lightweight, given the country’s often unreliable internet access. He recommended leveraging edge computing and designing tools that can function independently of cloud connectivity, similar to Uganda’s existing electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS), which operates offline and is widely used at the community level.

He also warned against the frequent tendency to replace existing digital health systems with new technologies. “Instead of system replacement, we should be focusing on modular upgrades,” he said, urging developers to integrate AI into current platforms rather than discarding long-standing systems that have received significant investment.

Localization of AI models and data emerged as another key theme. Muhumuza pointed out that many AI models are trained using foreign datasets, which limits their accuracy and contextual relevance in Uganda. “We already have large datasets from malaria, TB, and HIV programs—these must be used to fine-tune AI models to reflect local realities,” he added.

However, several challenges stand in the way of AI adoption in health. Muhumuza cited the fragmentation of Uganda’s health information systems, weak compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks, inadequate infrastructure, and low digital literacy among healthcare workers as major hurdles. “Introducing AI without addressing digital literacy among the health workforce is counterproductive,” he warned.

To overcome these obstacles and ensure sustainability, Muhumuza emphasized the importance of developing a national AI in health implementation framework. He noted that the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Makerere AI Health Lab and the World Health Organization, is already working on this framework. Once completed, it will guide data access, model development, testing, tool integration, and capacity building across the sector.

Muhumuza concluded by stressing the importance of sustainability. “We’ve seen too many partner-led digital tools disappear when project funding ends. A national framework will ensure these innovations are integrated, sustainable, and aligned with our long-term health priorities,” he said.

As the country prepares to adopt a new strategic health plan, health experts and policymakers hope the inclusion of AI will mark a transformative shift in Uganda’s fight against malaria and other public health challenges.