On March 27, a delegation of four from the Health Services of Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF), led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Kyobe Bosa, visited Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (ZCMU) for exchange. The visit marked a follow-up to a 2023 virtual meeting and the two sides had an in-depth discussion on potential collaboration in natural herbal medicine research. Heads of ZCMU’s International Relations Office, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Scientific Research Department attended this meeting. It was chaired by Gu Jingjing, Deputy Director of the International Relations Office.

Wang Ying, Director of the International Relations Office, warmly welcomed the delegation on behalf of ZCMU and provided a brief introduction to ZCMU’s history and current development. Vice Dean of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences gave a comprehensive introduction to the school’s basic situation, faculty, academic disciplines, research teams, and achievements in natural medicine research. The strong research capabilities of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences left a deep impression on the Ugandan delegation, laying a solid foundation for future in-depth collaboration between the two sides.

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Kyobe Bosa and Clinical Pharmacist Dr. Moses Nangosya noted that Uganda possesses a rich heritage of traditional medicine, with over 80% of Ugandans relying on traditional herbal remedies as primary healthcare. However, the research and clinical application of local herbs in Uganda faced numerous challenges, including a lack of scientific evidence, incomplete regulatory frameworks, biodiversity threats from overharvesting, and insufficient practitioner training systems, etc. The Ugandan government has prioritized addressing these issues, designating the project as a national-level systematic initiative, personally endorsed by the president and led by the Health Services of UPDF. They hoped that with the help of China’s scientific research capabilities, they would find solutions and promote the modernization, informatization, industrialization, and standardization of traditional herbal medicine.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the framework and implementation path for future cooperation. The Ugandan representatives expressed their intention to jointly apply for scientific and technological projects to analyze the active ingredients of natural herbs, establish a database for the safety and efficacy of herbs to provide an information-sharing platform, and carry out capacity-building projects for traditional medicine practitioners to promote technical exchanges. Both sides agreed to enhance communication and advance concrete collaboration. They planned to sign a strategic cooperation framework agreement in the future to integrate their strengths and deepen China-Uganda cooperation in traditional medicine.

After the meeting, the delegation visited the Zhejiang Chinese Medicine Museum and Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, deeply understanding traditional Chinese medicine’s cultural heritage and scientific research achievements.

The cooperation is expected to combine Uganda’s rich medicinal plant resources with the research strengths of ZCMU to promote the modernization and internationalization of traditional medicine. It will provide support for new drug development, public health governance, cultural exchange, and talent cultivation, and contribute to global health cooperation.