Dr. Grace Namatovu Atuhaire

Dr. Grace Namatovu Atuhaire is a pediatrician at Mulago National Referral Hospital — Uganda's largest public hospital and the primary teaching hospital of Makerere University College of Health Sciences, located in Kampala. With over 14 years of clinical experience in pediatrics and child health, Dr. Atuhaire manages the high-burden pediatric disease profile of Uganda, where malaria, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, and diarrheal diseases remain leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality. She provides both ward-based inpatient care for acutely ill children and outpatient follow-up for children with chronic conditions including HIV and malnutrition. As a university-affiliated practitioner, she is involved in the clinical training of medical students and pediatric residency trainees at Makerere, contributing to the next generation of Ugandan pediatricians. She collaborates with international research teams operating at Mulago on pediatric HIV, malaria, and neonatal health studies.

Dr. Atuhaire earned her MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) from Makerere University College of Health Sciences — East Africa's oldest and most prestigious medical school, founded in 1924. Following her undergraduate training, she pursued a Masters of Medicine (MMed) in Pediatrics and Child Health, also at Makerere University — a two-year full-time specialist qualification that is the recognized standard for pediatric specialists in Uganda and East Africa. Her MMed training provided intensive supervised exposure to the full spectrum of East African pediatric disease, including tropical infectious diseases, malnutrition, neonatal conditions, and chronic illnesses in children. She subsequently completed a Fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases through the East African Specialist Training Programme, gaining additional expertise in HIV management in children, malaria treatment protocols, and antibiotic stewardship in resource-limited pediatric settings.

Dr. Atuhaire's pediatric practice is shaped by Uganda's childhood disease burden. Malaria is a core clinical focus — she manages both uncomplicated and severe malaria including cerebral malaria, blackwater fever, and malaria-associated severe anemia in children. Pediatric HIV and AIDS care is another major component: she manages children on antiretroviral therapy (ART), monitors treatment response, and addresses HIV-related complications including opportunistic infections and failure to thrive. Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) management is critical at Mulago, using therapeutic feeding protocols and addressing micronutrient deficiencies. Neonatal care including management of neonatal sepsis, birth asphyxia, prematurity complications, and neonatal jaundice is part of her practice. She also manages common pediatric conditions including pneumonia, diarrheal disease, measles, and meningitis with evidence-based protocols.

Mulago National Referral Hospital is a major public hospital primarily serving Uganda's domestic population, but it treats all patients including expatriates and their children. The hospital hosts several international research programs and receives visiting clinical staff from partner institutions in the USA, UK, and Europe. Kampala also has private hospitals — including Aga Khan Hospital Uganda and International Hospital Kampala — that provide pediatric services with more comfortable facilities for international patients and shorter waiting times. For highly specialized pediatric subspecialty care (such as pediatric cardiac surgery or advanced oncology), children may be referred to Nairobi (Kenya) or South Africa. Dr. Atuhaire consults in English, Luganda, and Swahili.

Dr. Atuhaire has been recognized within the Makerere University and Mulago Hospital community for her contributions to pediatric clinical care and medical education in Uganda. Her co-investigator roles in international pediatric health research studies at Mulago reflect recognition by global health research institutions. Her participation in East African regional pediatric health workshops, including those organized by the East African College of Physicians (EACP) and the Uganda Paediatric Association, demonstrates professional standing within the regional medical community. Her sustained practice at Uganda's national referral hospital, managing high volumes of severely ill children in a resource-limited environment, represents an extraordinary professional commitment.