Kampala, Uganda: The Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) has officially launched the Annual Sickle Cell Run 2026, calling on Ugandans to embrace early screening, know their sickle cell status and support efforts to provide life-saving medicines for vulnerable patients living with sickle cell disease.
The annual charity run, scheduled for Sunday, September 20, 2026, will start at 6:00 am from Pharmacy House in Kyambogo, featuring both 5km and 10km races. Organisers say proceeds from the event will go towards purchasing Hydroxyurea, the gold-standard medicine used to manage sickle cell disease, for patients who cannot afford treatment.
Speaking on behalf of the society during a press briefing held at Pharmacy House on Friday, PSU Vice President Dr Nuru Mugide described sickle cell disease as one of Uganda’s most pressing public health challenges, noting that the country continues to register one of the highest disease burdens in Africa.
“Globally, an estimated 300,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease every year. In Uganda alone, approximately 20,000 babies are born with the condition annually, and about 24 per cent of Ugandans are carriers of the sickle cell trait,” Dr Mugide said.
She warned that between 6,000 and 9,000 Ugandan children born with sickle cell disease die before their fifth birthday, making it one of the leading causes of childhood illness and mortality in the country. “Behind every statistic is a child, a parent and a future cut short. As pharmacists, we believe no patient should die simply because they cannot afford medicine.”
Dr Mugide explained that Hydroxyurea significantly reduces pain crises, hospital admissions and complications by helping the body produce a form of haemoglobin that prevents red blood cells from assuming the characteristic sickle shape.
“Fewer sickle cells mean fewer pain crises, fewer hospital visits and longer, healthier lives. But this medicine remains expensive, and that is why we organise this run every year.”
She urged Ugandans to undergo genotype screening before marriage or starting families. “Knowing your genotype before having children saves lives. Prevention through premarital screening, antenatal testing and genetic counselling remains our strongest weapon against this disease.”
The Vice President also appealed to government to accelerate newborn screening programmes, subsidise Hydroxyurea and integrate comprehensive sickle cell care into the national essential medicines programme.
More than a race
The Chairperson of the 2026 Sickle Cell Run Organising Committee, Dr Favour Odum Chiamaka, described the event as more than a sporting activity.
“This run is more than a race. It is a movement. It is a call to every Ugandan to understand sickle cell disease, challenge the stigma surrounding it, embrace early screening and stand in solidarity with individuals and families affected by the condition,” she said.
She noted that this year’s edition has been expanded through stronger corporate partnerships, university mobilisation, digital registration and wider public awareness campaigns.
Participants will also benefit from free sickle cell screening, pharmacy consultations and blood pressure checks during the event. “Our ambition is not simply to have thousands of people run. Our ambition is to have thousands of people leave more informed than when they arrived,” she said.
Dr Chiamaka added that organisers are targeting at least 1,000 people for sickle cell screening during the event while raising funds to procure Hydroxyurea for patients in hard-to-reach communities.
Mother’s emotional testimony
One of the most emotional moments of the launch came from pharmacist Hope Fortunate Achiro, who shared her personal journey after losing both her children to sickle cell disease despite spending more than Shs800 million in an attempt to save their lives.
Ms Achiro said the disease robbed her daughters of a normal childhood through repeated pain crises, prolonged hospital admissions and interrupted education. “My elder daughter would often tell me she wanted to go to heaven because the pain was too much. That is the reality of sickle cell disease. The pain is immense.”
She explained that both children eventually underwent bone marrow transplants in India after a nationwide fundraising campaign supported by fellow pharmacists, government and well-wishers.
“Sadly, the transplant was not successful. I lost both children within two months of each other. Even trying to do the best I could to make their lives better was not enough.”
Achiro urged Ugandans to prioritise genotype screening before marriage. “The only way to know if you’re a carrier is to get tested. There are no signs or symptoms. If you are a carrier, please do not marry another carrier. That simple decision can save future generations.”
“If we make the right decisions today, ten years from now we can ensure that no child is born with sickle cell disease. Let us end sickle cell in Uganda,” she added.
NMS reaffirms commitment
Representing the National Medical Stores (NMS), Senior Pharmacist Doreen Basangwa reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to improving access to sickle cell medicines. She said NMS currently supplies specialised sickle cell treatment packages to 72 accredited health facilities across Uganda.
“The package contains Hydroxyurea, Penicillin V and other medicines required in the management of sickle cell disease. Any accredited health facility caring for sickle cell patients is eligible to receive these medicines,” Basangwa said.
She stressed that while treatment remains important, prevention through awareness and screening remains the most effective long-term strategy.
PSU Secretary Dr Stephen Lutoti said the society resolved to intensify its annual awareness campaign because of the continued loss of lives to sickle cell disease.
“Sickle cell disease kills, and therefore we don’t want any life to be lost because of sickle cell disease. It has killed quite a number of people and continues to do so, and we thought as a society we can do something about it,” he said.
This year’s run is sponsored by AccuLife Pharma Limited and EcoMeds.
Registration kits are available at MM Pharmacy, Wandegeya, and Extra Care Pharmacy, Gayaza, with individual tickets ranging from Shs30,000 to Shs50,000, while corporate packages range between Shs2 million and Shs13 million.
The annual PSU Sickle Cell Run has grown into one of Uganda’s biggest pharmacy-led public health campaigns, combining fundraising, awareness creation, free screening and advocacy for improved access to treatment.
The campaign comes amid renewed national efforts to strengthen sickle cell care following the recent rollout of locally manufactured Hydroxyurea and continued calls by the Ministry of Health for expanded newborn screening and early diagnosis.
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