On October 12, 2026, Makerere University in Kampala published an interview with Prof. Dr. Thiha Aung. The university and Mulago Hospital hosted his mission, which is part of an EU-funded Erasmus project on oncology and lymphedema. Prof. Dr. Aung teaches and does research at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology. In view of his international experience in oncology, the university sees his visit as a contribution to building medical expertise in Uganda.
At the end of September 2026, he traveled to Uganda for about two weeks. There he operated on previously selected patients and trained medical staff; the mission combines medical care with humanitarian aid. He was accompanied by two students from THD’s Institute of Medical Science & Engineering. It was not his first stay: he had already operated in Uganda in 2023, and in June 2024 he came to Mulago Hospital for a lymph node transfer, according to the university the first in Africa.
The focus is on lymphedema, which in advanced cases is also called elephantiasis. For many of those affected, surgery is otherwise hardly within reach.
Above all, the interview is about his attitude. Progress in medicine depends less on money than on commitment and will, says Prof. Dr. Aung. What matters is not the equipment but the people who work with it, and the patients. His drive is to use his skills to help as many people as possible; after all, anatomy is the same in all people. He sees his role as giving an impetus that students and professionals carry forward. Every treatment has an effect beyond the individual, for example when someone can return to work.
He advises young doctors in Uganda to develop a genuine interest in their work and to act despite limited resources instead of waiting for better conditions.
Prof. Dr. Aung also supports the Lymphoedema Warriors Association Uganda, an organization of people affected by the condition. The collaboration is set to continue: he plans to review patients’ records in order to determine the appropriate treatment.
Read more in the interview by Makerere University.
