The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda is still lagging behind to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage-UHC despite the 2030 target set by the global health community. Health expert say there are no feasible objectives and indicators of progress made by the country.
Sarah Nahalamba, the acting Head of Department Population and Social Planning at the National Planning Authority-NPA, says they have recognized this challenge and are coming up with a tool to measure progress and where they have gone wrong.
According to Nahalamba, they have tasked academic institutions like Makerere University to come up with workable solutions for the challenges that are affecting progress. Universal Health Coverage is about people receiving quality health services that meet their needs without exposing them to financial hardships.
At the closure of the three-day symposium on Universal Health Coverage in Kampala on Thursday afternoon, Juliet Nabyonga, the representative from the Regional office of the World Health Organisation, said what’s affecting progress for many countries is the fact that they have set targets basing on what’s happening in the developed world.
She urged policy makers to involve researchers in the interventions that are being proposed for the achievement of Universal Health coverage such as the National Health Insurance Scheme that’s currently being promoted as a sure way of solving the countries health challenges.
To her, even as this is being touted as the magic that will turn healthcare around, scientists are warning that for the country to yield any results, it may take up to 20 years, which means that we will not meet the target of achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
On her part, the Health State Minister in charge of Primary Health Care, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu said the government set aside money this financial year that academic institutions will be using to conduct research that advances health.
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