Health infrastructure

• Complete the following hospitals, whose construction/rehabilitation is ongoing: Women’s Hospital at Mulago, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kawolo, Kayunga, Yumbe, Uganda/East Africa Cancer Institute and National Laboratory Centre.
• Complete renovation and expansion of 26 Health Centre IVs and IIIs.
• Complete the construction of 69 housing units for health workers in Karamoja region.
• Begin Phase II Expansion and re-equipping of the following hospitals:
  i. Mbarara (Phase II), Mbale, Itojo; Kambuga, Kisoro, Kitagata, Lyantonde, Rakai, Kalisizo, Gombe, Bundibugyo, Kiboga, Kamuli, Bugiri, Masindi, Kitgum, Apac, Adjumani, Kaabong, Atutur, Tororo, Pallisa, Abim, Bududa.
  ii. All other general hospitals under other government departments.
• The NRM government will construct the following new hospitals:- Gomba; Lwengo; Kamwenge (Rukunyu), Kaberamaido, Nakasongola, Katakwi, Amolatar, Kween, Rukungiri, Amuria, Manafwa, Isingiro and Luwero hospitals.
• Provide beds, mattresses, side lockers, medical blankets and bedsheets to all hospitals within the current financial year.
• Continue to implement the health infrastructure policy of having and functionalising Health centre IVs in every political constituency, and health centre IIIs per sub-county. Health Centre IIs in sub-counties without Health Centre IIIs will be upgraded and expanded in line with the policy of having Health Centre IIIs in every sub-county.
• In partnership with the international partners, the NRM Government will construct a state-of-the-art International Hospital at Lubowa.
• Construct new blood banks, at Kabale, Arua, Moroto, Soroti and Lira regional referral hospitals.
• Scale up the installation of oxygen generation plants to all regional referral hospitals and general hospitals.
• Construct a central vaccine store.
• Expand the National Medical Stores.
• Complete construction and equip the Uganda Cancer Institute and also establish specialised Radio-diagnostic and cancer treatment centres at Mbale, Mbarara, Gulu and Arua regional referral and teaching hospitals.
• Complete expansion, construction, equipping and staffing of the Uganda Heart Institute.

Disease prevention

• The NRM government will ensure that all strategies under the health sector contribute to the improved health of every Ugandan. To achieve this, service delivery will be organised around the following clusters: health promotion, disease prevention and community health interventions, reproductive health, maternal, neonatal and child health, prevention and control of communicable diseases and outbreaks (malaria, viral 2016 - 2021 195 hemorrhagic fevers). Also, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, including cancer and lifestyle diseases.

Health Human Resources

• Recruit health workers to 100% staffing level by 2018. To avoid delays in the recruitment, health workers will be posted by the Ministry of Health immediately after completion of registration to fill gaps within the ceiling of staff needs in the sector. The Health Service Commission and the District Service Commissions will only be required to validate their appointments.
• Offer bursaries where the hard-to-reach areas identify students willing to study courses in nursing, midwifery, laboratory technicians, clinical work and medicine at degree level. After studies, the students will be bonded to work in areas, which nominated them.
• Continue with the construction of staff houses in all health facilities.
• Create training opportunities through scholarships and bursaries to deserving health professionals. As already pointed out under Good Governance section, District Service Commissions will be given more funding to carry out recruitment, including confirmation and promotion of workers in a regular and timely manner.
• Training and facilitating highly specialised health professionals in cancer care, organ transplant, neurosurgery, bone surgery, in order to reduce on referrals abroad.
• Attract international experts in different health disciplines as a means of knowledge and technology transfer into Uganda;
• Continuously improve the remuneration of health workers, especially those in hard-to-reach parts of the country.
• Create community health extension workers and place two at every parish.

Immunisation and child health

• In order to improve access to health services in the country, we will start a phased implementation of the Universal Health Insurance Scheme. To-date, wide consultations have been finalised and the Bill is in placeawaiting its enactment.

Health Insurance

• In order to improve access to health services in the country, we will start a phased implementation of the Universal Health Insurance Scheme. To-date, wide consultations have been finalised and the Bill is in place awaiting its enactment.

The FDC led government will focus on the following actions to transform the health services delivery system and make health services accessible to all citizens.

• Our health services work force will be given a rewarding and compensation package. The starting salary for nurse will be UGX 650,000 while that of a doctor will be UGX 3.5 million.
• Invest in our national referral hospital system by accelerating the renovation and expansion of Mulago hospital and other regional and district hospitals to form the nervous system of our national healthcare programme.
• Establish a nation-wide emergence ambulance and air rescue service that will be accessible to every citizen in need and offer specialized services for women and especially mothers.
• Establish a health insurance scheme to ensure coverage for all citizens who do not have insurance from private health service providers or work-based insurance schemes.
• Dedicate atleast 2 percent of the health sector budget towards cutting-age applied health research in diagnostics and treatment, with particular focus on major illnesses including cancer, kidney and heart diseases.

• Allocation of at least 16% of the national budget to the health sector because of its strategic importance 
• Investing in the national health system that includes rehabilitating national and regional referral hospitals, community hospitals and health centres and constructing new ones 
• Investing in the latest medical equipment, theatres and laboratories 
• Reviewing of remuneration of personnel like doctors, nurses and other health professionals. 
• Recruiting more health professionals especially doctors to improve the doctor to patient ratio 
• Implementing internationally accepted measures for controlling population growth: avail family planning services to all Ugandans that are still productive including those in schools and rural areas 
• Provision of holistic treatment, palliative care and support to those living with terminal diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS 
• Having a healthcare system that ensures availability of all essential medicines in all health facilities and other essential healthcare packages like for expecting mothers
• Implementing a National Health Insurance scheme that covers all citizens

In 2001, Uganda became a signatory of the Abuja Declaration where she committed to increase government funding on health to 15%. In the 2015/16 Budget, government projects to spend 7%. We need, in the coming years, to increase this consistently in order to fulfil our commitment to the Abuja Declaration. Our government will increase budgetary allocations to health year on year until we meet that target. The following are our commitments:

• Our government will construct and equip an ultra modern hospital with excellent, well motivated staff using funds spent on treatment abroad. 
• Our government will renovate and equip health facilities to acceptable standards to treat all ailments. 
• Our government will restructure the remuneration, benefits, and incentives given to medical staff and all other health workers in order to encouragethem to seek and retain employment in Uganda.
• We shall recruit 25,000 new primary healthcare workers to bridge the current manpower gap in the sector. 
• Our government will mobilise financing for the Minimum Healthcare Package (MHP) that includes but not limited to: 
  o Control of communicable diseases
  o Integrated management of childhood illnesses
  o Sexual and reproductive health and rights
  o Immunisation
  o Environmental health
  o Health Education and promotion
  o School health
  o Epidemics and disaster prevention, preparedness, and response
  o Improving nutrition
  o Interventions against diseases targeted for elimination or eradication
  o Strengthening mental health services, essential clinical care, and 
  o Supporting a robust real time Health Information Management System
• We believe healthcare is a fundamental human right, and it is our intention to ensure that every citizen has access to good healthcare.

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme:

We will introduce a Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme nationwide. This scheme is a system of social insurance in which the risk of meeting the cost of the MHP is mitigated by government and individuals pooling resources. These funds will be channelled directly into an insurance fund. The insurance providers who choose to participate, will have standardised medical insurance packages which will be differentiated by the level and quality of service. Private insurance will continue to exist as an option for those who want it. 

The scheme will be based on the principles of equity, social solidarity, community ownership and democratic control. This will be within the framework of the Advanced Sub-County Model.

The key factor considered is that it will be family based enrolment aimed at encouraging risk sharing (having more people on the scheme and thus profiting from economies of scale) and limiting adverse selection that leaves out those in hard to reach areas. Voluntary health insurance is aimed at, among other things:

• increasing access to health care, and
• reducing the burden of catastrophic health spending particularly for low-income earners. 

The Rural Medical Deployment Programme

We shall introduce a new program in which eligible doctors will receive incentives to work in rural areas. This program will begin by targetinggeneral practitioners, dentists, paediatricians and gynaecologists

Public health management 

• Improve sanitation and hygiene waste management through enforcement of bi-laws at local level and public education. 
• Ensure 100 percent latrine/toilet coverage within 2 years. 
• Strengthen the surveillance and response capability of public health department at the ministry of health. 
• Intensify immunization programmes against major diseases to achieve 100% coverage. 

Controlled Pregnancy 

• Re-energize the family planning programme to encourage responsible parenthood and rigorously promote birth control options 
• Engage in rigorous education and campaign especially in the rural areas on the benefits of family planning. 
• Provide free birth control remedies to all mothers and ladies. 
• Provide a monitoring and backfire health care program to all mothers that indicate negative reactions to birth control measures. 

Safe Mother and Safe Child 

• Provide 100 percent health coverage to all pregnant mothers (Ante-natal and Post-natal treatment). 
• Provide supplementary feeds to pregnant mothers. 
• Provide 100 percent health coverage to all children less than 5 years. 
• Ensure unrestricted access to maternal health facilities throughout country. 
• Train sufficient midwives to cover the current gap. 
• Government Maternity labor ward per Sub County. 

Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS 

• Intensify public education and sensitization programmes to encourage responsible sexual behavior and eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with persons with HIV/AIDS. 
• Ensure that all HIV/AIDS persons have access to essential medication and free ARVS. 
• Collaborate with NGOs to create efficient outreach services for residential care of HIV/AIDS patients. 
• Provide supplementary foods for HIV/AIDS patients who are disadvantaged. 

Improved Primary Health Care Delivery 

• Establish mobile clinics for preventive screening and basic treatment in rural places and marginal areas. 
• Improve system of referrals to rationalize the utilization of different levels of health facilities. 
• Government Hospital per district fully equipped. 
• Ensure that health facilities that provide primary health care are well equipped and facilitated to deliver including assessment and initial treatment of disease conditions.
• Train more community health workers (aides) to expand primary health coverage. 
• Train 3000 medical doctors over 10 years to improve the doctor people ratio. 

Emergency Medical Services 

• Establish a National emergency and Ambulance services with linkages with Uganda Police Force. 
• Procure sufficient and equipped ambulances to cover the entire country (at least an Ambulance every sub-county). 
• Train sufficient numbers of medical technicians and nurses to handle trauma cases and critical illness and with real time communication with National emergency and Ambulance centers. 

Elderly is Health 

• Provide 100 percent health coverage to all elderly persons of 65 years and above. 
• Provide supplementary foods appropriate for strengthening the health of the elderly. 
• Outreach services to provide health services to the elderly from their residence. 

Improved Health facilities 

• Ensure that health sector receives at least 12% of the National budget and gradually increase the allocation to 15% as fiscal circumstances permit. 
• Upgrade all the health facilities to ensure that they are equipped with appropriate personnel, equipment and medicines to meet targeted services at each level. 
• Establish well-facilitated maternity wards and pediatric clinics as part of each health center at local levels 
• Establish a well-equipped diagnostic and treatment centers as part of Health center IV. 
• Build a modern hospital per district and renovate the existing ones. 
• Establish an information technology platform to support telemedicine technologies for long distance and real – time consultation between major medical centers and rural health centers and between local specialists / consultants and international experts. 

Guaranteed healthcare 

• Enact a health insurance act that requires all employers and employee both in private and public to contribute to health insurance. 
• Facilitated and motivated Health worker Train sufficient numbers of Health workers including Doctors, nurses, midwives and technicians to meet the demand. 
• Intensify the recruitment of Health workers in all public Health facilities. 
• Review and revise the salaries and wages of Health workers to ensure that they are at par with the region. 
• Establish incentives including further education, housing transport and Health insurance coverage for their immediate family members. 
• Availability of medicines and medical equipment Maintain the ban on import duties on medicines and medical equipment and technologies. 
• Restructure the procurement of medicines and equipment to regional level to ensure efficiency and eliminate waste. 
• Institute health management systems to monitor and audit policy implementation, professional management, financial administration, procurements and service quality delivery. 
• Central and regional referral hospitals 
• Streamline services offered at Mulago hospital to only referral cases 
• Revamp regional referral hospitals by adequate staffing, equipment and medical supplies to ease the load and associated inefficiency currently on Mulago hospital.
• Facilitate emergency services between local health centers and referral hospitals. 

The delicate society 

• Establish more clinics to ensure 24 hour services for sickle cell patients. 
• Establish mandatory early diagnostic services to diagnose sickle cell patients throughout the country. 
• As a requirement to check for sickle cells before marriage to prevent the surge of sickle cell patients in the country.