Dr Diana Atwine: The Crisis Manager at the Helm of Uganda’s Health System

What the report says

Dr Diana Atwine has retained her post as Permanent Secretary of Uganda’s Ministry of Health after President Museveni’s November 9, 2026 reshuffle of permanent secretaries and other senior officials, according to Nile Post. Her continued stay keeps her in charge of the ministry that oversees public hospitals, disease surveillance, medicines, health workers, public health programmes and health-sector resources. The article presents her as one of the most important administrators in Uganda’s public service, noting that she has held the role for nearly a decade.

Nile Post says Atwine’s government career moved from clinical medicine into senior public administration. She studied medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, worked at St Francis Hospital Nsambya and the Uganda Joint Clinical Research Centre, and later served in State House as President’s Private Secretary for Medical Affairs and as one of Museveni’s personal physicians. In 2009, she was appointed to lead the Health Monitoring Unit, which was created to investigate corruption and weaknesses in healthcare delivery.

The report highlights her role in tackling alleged drug theft, absenteeism, misuse of public funds and poor facility management, as well as recovering stolen medicines and pursuing misconduct cases. It also notes that she has been central to Uganda’s response to major outbreaks, including Ebola-related cases, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Ebola outbreak and the 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak. More broadly, her retention signals continuity at a time when Uganda remains focused on health-system strengthening, outbreak preparedness and better service delivery.