New report calls for major health sector reforms
A patients in a ward at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital in 2019. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The report that was launched yesterday by the Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, recommends the creation of an emergency financing mechanism for the health sector, increased community sensitisation about Covid-19 vaccination, family planning and Hepatitis B testing and vaccination to increase uptake, while ensuring availability of the commodities and supplies.
The Annual Health Sector Performance Report for the Financial Year 2021/2022 has highlighted major areas that must be improved to ensure access to quality and timely health care by Ugandans.
The report that was launched yesterday by the Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, recommends the creation of an emergency financing mechanism for the health sector, increased community sensitisation about Covid-19 vaccination, family planning and Hepatitis B testing and vaccination to increase uptake, while ensuring availability of the commodities and supplies.
The report also emphasises the need to train more specialists to address gaps at the specialised and referral hospitals, and suggests that the Ministry of Finance should increase wage provisions for health to fill the gaps at all levels.
It tasks health and district service commissions to expedite recruitment of health workers to minimise failure to absorb funds due to late deployments.
The report further stresses the need to address the stock out of key commodities such as laboratory supplies, personal protective equipment and other essential medicines, affecting achievement of the health outcomes.
“There should be increased government funding to the health sector in addition to adaptation of alternate in-country financing for health such as the National Health Insurance Scheme,” the report reads in part.
The report recommends improved access to quality services right from the lower level health facilities.
The report says there is an urgent need to reduce the malaria incidence in the country since the disease has remained the leading cause of illness for all ages accounting for 32.1 percent (14,295,199/44,577,830) of all reported Out Patient Department (OPD) attendances and 26.2 percent (834,329/3,188,471) of all admissions.
Analysis
Trauma accounted for 64 percent of all injuries, followed by road traffic injuries (RTIs) at 25 percent. Among the RTIs, motorcycles contributed 53 percent, motor vehicles 19 percent and bicycles 8 percent.
South Central, Kampala, North Central and West Nile Regions had the highest number of RTIs.
Epilepsy remains the most common mental health condition constituting 55.4 percent (251,979/455,153) of OPD attendances due to mental health conditions followed by bipolar disorder (9.7 percent) and anxiety disorders (8.8 percent).
According to the report, over the last 3 years, the number of OPD attendances due to substance use disorders has increased by 156 percent from 2,399 cases reported in Financial Year 2019/20 to 6,155 in FY 2021/22.
Alcohol use disorder and substance (drug) use disorders are highest among males in both the 5 -19 and 20 and above age groups.
Maternal mortality
According to the report, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has declined over the last three years from 92 persons per100,000 to 83/100,000 but still short of the 63/100,000 target for the year under review.
Kampala had a disproportionately higher MMR of 223/100,000 deliveries.
Bunyoro Sub-region with 114/100,000 and Acholi with 101/100,000 are also above the national average of 83/100,000 deliveries.
Haemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal deaths, accounting for 41 percent of deaths followed by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy at 14 percent.
The greatest concern regarding access to health services among users of government health facilities is non-availability of medicines and health supplies.
The reported average availability of a basket of 41 tracer commodities in the last quarter of the FY 2021/22 was 78 percent against a target of 90 percent. The average monthly reporting rate of delays in undertaking national surveys such as the Uganda Demographic Health Survey and disease prevalence surveys has continued to lead to non-assessment of some of the population-based survey indicators, the report said.
Dr Aceng said the report has been compiled in line with the Health Sector Monitoring and Evaluation framework. She noted that the report shall be presented and discussed with all stakeholders at the 28th Joint Review Mission in November.
She said like the previous year, the first half of this FY was challenging because of Covid-19, which continued affecting implementation of the planned activities.
