The UCG has evolved directly from the National Standard Treatment Guidelines 1993 which were the first such guidelines published in Uganda. Before then individual guidelines existed for the management of a limited number of specific conditions.

The UCG marks a major step forward by including for the first time information on diagnosis of the conditions covered. This information has been included in response to numerous comments and suggestions received from clinical staff in the field and its inclusion significantly extends and enhances the usefulness of the publication to clinicians in their day-to-day work.

The UCG is aimed mainly at levels HC1 to HC4 of the public health system but where appropriate may include limited information on management of certain conditions at higher levels.

The content of the UCG has been completely updated and also expanded not only through the inclusion of numerous additional conditions but also in the level of information and detail provided for the management of each condition and in the provision of several useful introductory sections such as guidelines on prescribing and diagnosis.

Readers are therefore strongly recommended to familiarise themselves with the content and layout of the UCG in order to facilitate location of the different types of information which may be required and thereby maximise its potential usefulness in daily clinical practice.

The UCG does not constitute a full clinical text but it does provide in an easily accessible form all the key points which would need to be considered when making decisions on how to manage the various conditions. The treatments recommended in the UCG are regarded as nationally recognised standard treatments and in many cases they are the same as, or directly derived from, those recommended in current evidence-based WHO guidelines.

In producing the UCG, the opportunity has been taken not only to improve the comprehensiveness and completeness of the content but also to improve the presentation of the information so as to make the booklet easier to use. This has been done through improved formatting and design, eg. by selective use of different bullets, use of italic and bold text and by re-arranging the information into more logical sections. The size of the booklet has been reduced to half the previous dimensions in order to make it truly portable and thereby available for ready consultation in any circumstances and locations. It is meant to be a pocket manual and not a desk-top reference.

It has been stated elsewhere that clinical guidelines such as the UCG are subject to rapid obsolescence due to the dynamic nature of therapeutic practice. Thus, in order to maintain the relevance and practical usefulness of the UCG, it is vital that feedback be obtained from users of the guidelines based on actual practice and experience in the field.

In order to facilitate this process an amendment form has been included at the back of the UCG (p457) which can be used to propose changes to the publication.

The UCG has been long awaited and the Ministry of Health, National Drug Authority and all those involved in the preparation of the UCG sincerely hope that the wait was worthwhile and that it will make a significant contribution to ongoing efforts to improve national therapeutic services and medicines utilisation.

The objective of these combined efforts is to ensure that the patient always receives good service and optimum treatment and that the credibility and reputation of the public sector health service is restored to and maintained in its rightful place.