Mengo hospital spokesperson Dennis Bwanika has said these accusations are false because they put patients’ safety first.
According to Dr Mukuzi, medical services are generally expensive both in Uganda and other countries but the fact, unfortunately, remains that someone has to pay for it.
He however says much as health guidelines require medics to offer the basic emergency services before referral, it is not clear how far they can go.
Dr Mukuzi meanwhile says the hope for equitable access to medical services lies in the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill which seeks to provide universal healthcare to all Ugandans.
It was recently passed by the 10
In a joint statement issued after a dialogue at Lweza Training and Conference Center, read by Father Constantine Mbonabingi, religious leaders say although government tries to provide free health care services, a big proportion of health expenditure is met by individuals who pay cash to the health providers when they seek health care.
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Bill, seeks to provide universal healthcare to all Ugandans.
According to Daily Monitor, data from the Ministry of Health indicates that the total annual health expenditure stands at Shs7.5 trillion.
Of this, 15 per cent is from government funding, 42 per cent from donors, 41 per cent from individuals (out of pocket) when they fall sick and only two per cent from pre-payment mechanisms.
Daily Monitor
Friday April 30 2021
Summary
In 2016, the government of Uganda developed a health financing strategy to facilitate the attainment of sustainable development goal three (SDG3) of ensuring Universal Health Coverage.
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Providing affordable healthcare to the population of low- and middle-income countries is a persistent development issue.
In 2016, the government of Uganda developed a health financing strategy to facilitate the attainment of sustainable development goal three (SDG3) of ensuring Universal Health Coverage.
This can be achieved by making the required resources for delivery of essential health services for Ugandans available, in an efficient and equitable manner. Revenue collection and risk pooling mechanisms such as insurance are one way of doing this.