Museveni’s unfulfilled health promises

President Yoweri Museveni’s 2011 bid for a fourth term in office comes in the face of, among others, unmet health care promises, prompting questions about what was said on May 12, 2006 the day he was sworn in for a third term.

On the campaign trail, President Museveni in 2006 laid out several promises for an inclusive health care reform for Ugandans with particular emphasis on improving access to health care in the rural areas.

In his 2006 manifesto, President Museveni said: “The NRM policy is to have a hospital fully equipped with an operating theatre, a doctor, doctor’s house, and a multi-purpose vehicle (ambulance) in each of the 214 parliamentary constituencies.”
But MPs who talked to Sunday Monitor believe that President Museveni has not come any close to achieving those promised reforms in the sector.

It is true that some districts have acquired health centre IVs, but most of these facilities have remained white elephants as Amuru MP explains.

“Those were all empty promises. Bare walls are just standing alone in the name of health centres in various parts of the country,” Ms Concy Aciro (Independent) said. “Even in referral hospitals, there are no doctors, no drugs, patients sleep on floors and others are still taken to hospitals using wheelbarrows and makeshift carriers.”

Museveni credit
To his credit though, Mr Museveni in his manifesto said: that about 13 health centre IVs were completed and commissioned, construction of 31 health units were in final stages and that the construction of five health units were at their initial stages.

At sub-county level, Mr Museveni assured Ugandans that 730 health centre IIIs have been constructed and at parish level, 1,055 health centre IIs have also been constructed.

But what happened to those unfulfilled promises?
“These were political promises to get votes and when it comes to campaigns it is going to be payback time,” Mr Livingstone Okello-Okello (UPC, Chwa) said. “Our health [care] system is rotten and full of corruption. Museveni promised health care for all, but it’s now health care for only those in government as people in the countryside continue to suffer.”

Other opposition politicians led by Reagan Okumu (FDC, Aswa) claim, that since 1996, Mr Museveni only “rides on empty promises,” adding that “2006 was not different”.

“For us in FDC, we are going to take him on, using his unfulfilled promises. He came with Prosperity -For-All, but our people are getting poorer and poorer. The health care is crumbling and corruption continues,” Mr Okumu said.

But Information Minister Kabakumba Masiko disagrees with Museveni critics and says that “more than 90 per cent of the 2006 promises have already been fulfilled.”
Though President Museveni has delivered on his promise to build health centres, there is an acute shortage of health workers in the country with the few available working under stressful and frustrating conditions made all the more distressful by the very low pay.

Doctors blamed
“The perception is that the health workers are absent because they are busy with their own clinics and that the drugs of the government clinics are pilfered and taken to these private clinics,” Mr Museveni said, in his manifesto document.

He added: “This is a damaging perception to the image of the government. The practice of health workers leading a dual existence emerged during the bad times of Idi Amin when the salaries of public servants lost meaning on account of inflation.”
Malaria crisis
In 2006, President Museveni promised Ugandans to work towards eradication of malaria. “Our target is now to eradicate malaria through provision of mosquito nets and DDT spray in highland areas,” Mr Museveni promised, adding; “In order to achieve this, my government will supply 18 million nets to 80 per cent of the population. The other 20% can afford them on their own.”

To the contrary, while Mr Museveni had promised that over a period of five years eradication of Malaria would cost Shs90 billion through giving out free treated mosquito nets to 80 per cent of the population and another Shs80 billion to cover spraying in the highland areas, all these plans have either been moderately implemented or delayed with just a year left of his third term.

Which would raises questions about the following statement in the maninfesto: “The health of all Ugandans has always been a matter of high importance and priority. NRM is deeply committed to addressing health needs of the population in all aspects.”