Government priority setting has undermined the health sector in Uganda
The recently concluded 43rd session of the Commission on Population and Development (April 12-16, 2010), had an intensive debate on Health, Morbidity, Mortality and Development. Uganda was represented at the meeting, participated actively in the debates and made a statement at the plenary.
It was recognized that while commendable progress had been made in health over the last ten years, much more remained to be done in many developing countries especially the least developed ones to address the ‘double burden’ of infectious and parasitic diseases, emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases, and increasing non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, stroke and diabetes. Maternal and child health had made the slowest progress in the last decade. It was stressed that poverty, inequality and vulnerability have had far-reaching repercussions on the health of many people within and between nations.
The commission stressed that improving health will need to go beyond constructing hospitals and clinics and providing medicines, and adopt a multi-sector approach that includes health education, nutrition, safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation, environmental protection, reproductive health, training and retention of staff.