Norway envoy decries poor health services

Mr Nelson Lufafa, the director of Almeca Medicare Centre, welcomes Norwegian Ambassador to Uganda Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether (R) in Jinja District last Friday. PHOTO BY MOSES OKEYA

JINJA. The Head of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy in Uganda, has described the state of health services in Uganda as one of the poorest on the African continent.
Mr Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether said medical worker-patient ratio stands at two for every 1,000 patients, health workers are underpaid and medical facilities are generally over crowded, a scenario which he said has greatly contributed to low life expectancy.

“Infant mortality rate is 63 per 1,000 live births, there are only two health workers per 1,000 patients, the hospitals are very crowded and medical staff are underpaid and this has ranked this country as one (of those) with the lowest life expectancy,” said Mr Gaustadsaether.
The envoy made the remarks last Friday during the commissioning of an operation theatre and a maternity ward at the Almeca Medicare Centre in Mafubira, Jinja District. The theatre and ward were constructed with funding from the Norwegian government.
Mr Gaustadsaether .said something must be done to improve the situation and raise the country’s ranking in provision of health services.

The World Health Organisation ranks Uganda 186th out of 191 countries in healthcare provision. Good health, the envoy said, is a must if the country is to fight poverty, increase productivity and investments, and register sustainable growth and development.
The director of Almeca Medicare, Pastor Nelson Lufafa, said the theatre would enable them carry out major surgeries.