According to the Ministry of Health, a new proposal in Uganda requires all adult citizens to contribute to the National Health Insurance.
The proposal is part of a bill that will be presented before the cabinet. The Primary Health Care Minister, Margret Muhanga Mugisa, revealed this during the launch of an eight-year strategy by AMREF Uganda aimed at achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage by 2030.
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However, the bill faced opposition from politicians who argue that the suggested annual contribution of Fifteen thousand shillings is unaffordable for Ugandans.
The bill was initially passed by parliament in 2021 but was later withdrawn by the government due to identified gaps that needed to be addressed through consultations with stakeholders.
Now, the government plans to reintroduce the revised bill to the cabinet. Despite previous attempts to introduce a public insurance scheme, there is currently a lack of awareness about health insurance and its benefits in the country.
Some sections of the public wrongly believe that the implementation of the insurance scheme will immediately improve healthcare services, while experts, like Prof Elizabeth Ekirapa from Makerere University School of Public Health, warn that it will take time to see improvements.
Dr. Githinji Gitahi, the AMREF Health Africa CEO, suggests using Village Health Teams (VHTs) to identify individuals in the informal sector who can afford the annual contribution, as poverty levels keep changing.
The new strategy launched by AMREF Uganda has set aside US$150 million to improve access to health services, enhance health education, and develop climate strategies to address climate change, ultimately working towards achieving universal healthcare coverage.
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