Dr Aceng points out 10 reasons why Ugandans are not getting quality care

Launch of government Family planning commitments for 2030 in Kampala. Photo by Tonny Abet

Dr Aceng points out 10 reasons why Ugandans are not getting quality care

BY TONNY ABET

The Health Ministry has said Ugandans shouldn’t expect significant improvement in the quality of health care if the ten shortfalls including inadequate financing, shortage of specialists and inadequate equipment are not addressed.

The 2020 Annual Health Sector Performance Report indicated that country registered 45,042 deaths in hospitals in the 2019/2020 financial year, a figure which is 13 per cent higher than the 34,491 deaths that were reported in the 2018/2019 financial year.

A statement presented by Dr Jane Aceng, the Health minister to members of Parliament on Wednesday, up to 74 districts in the country lack government general hospitals, meaning the locals have to cross districts or travel to Kampala to get medical care.

“The estimated cost for construction and equipping is Shs70 billion per hospital and total cost for 74 hospitals is Shs5.1 trillion,” she said in the statement on the state of Public Healthcare Service Delivery in Uganda presented to Parliament. The presentation followed the demand by legislators.

The Minister said the creation of new districts is not being matched by need for more funds for establishment of health facilities and service delivery to the people.

She said the government allocates each Ugandan only Shs62,900 per person per year for medical care, which according to Dr Aceng falls short of the minimum requirement of Shs125,800 to avail essential healthcare.

The Shs62,900 can only treat one episode of malaria attack in low-level clinics in Kampala where people are charged somewhere from Shs60,000 to over Shs100,000 for treatment depending on the severity of the disease.  

“With the current funding, the health sector will not achieve the targets indicated in the National Development Plan III and the health-related sustainable development goals including reduction of child mortality, improving maternal health and combatting HIV/AIDS…,” Dr Aceng said.

The country records up to 1000 new cases of HIV infections each week, according to The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and about 1.4 million people are living with the disease.

According to Dr Aceng, the biggest chunk of the funding for the country’s supplies of essential medicines come from development partners, not government.

“The available government funding for essential medicines and health supplies is Shs9,285 per capita (of which 36 percent is for ARVs),” she said.

She added:”This is far below the recommended Shs44,000 per capita. Development partners contribute up to 64 percent of the funding for medicines and this is mainly for ARVs, HIV testing kits, TB drugs, antimalarial and reproductive health commodities.”

She said the projected funding gap for essential medicines and health supplies over the period of 2020 to 2025 is Shs5.7trillion. “There is an urgent need to increase government funding for medicines and health supplies.”

List

The ten challenges presented MoH

1. The shortage of critical cadres like anesthetic officers for emergency care, and pharmacists

2. Inadequate financing to the sector

3. Increase in number of Local governments without adequate funds for health service delivery.

4. Dilapidated health infrastructure

5. Inadequate medical equipment

6. Lack of proper imaging equipment like CT scans, X-rays

7. Districts don’t have hospitals and Health Centre IVs

8. Lack of staff accommodation in health facilities

9. Inadequate funding for National Medical Ambulance service system

10. The need to strengthen community health extension workforce