National Budget allocation for the health sector is a plus for health sector CSOs

Last year, we saw a swarm of health sector civil society organizations working busy like bees to ensure that government increases budget allocation for the health sector. On 8th June 2016, the famous bible scripture (   "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you) worked out. As a health advocate i commend the government of Uganda for listening to the public out cry for better health services and gave us some more.

The health sector budget has this year been increased from 1.227trillion (FY 2015/16) to 1.828 trillion (FY 2016/17) giving a nominal increase of 607.55 billion shillings (approximately 50% increase). The 50% increment to the health sector budget is a commendable step towards availability of health services to the citizens of this country. Major increments have been reflected in Ministry of Health vote (505.56bn), Uganda cancer Institute (25.67bn) and National Medical Stores (10bn) to offset currency depreciation in drug procurement, district primary health care (30.86bn), and regional referral hospitals (19.86bn), and Mulago Complex(7.04bn). The 10bn additional allocation to National Medical Stores to offset currency depreciation in drug procurement means that the net allocation for drugs procurement is 00 billion Uganda shillings this financial year.

While reading the budget, the Minister of Finance noted that, " in the next financial year, focus will be placed on accelerating interventions to improve availability of healthcare workers at health centers, enhancing maternal, new born and child health in order too reduce the high number of deaths. Government will also continue to prioritize implementation of the National Prevention Strategy of HIV/AIDS and also expand Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) coverage to 80%, with an emphasis on testing and treatment of the 'most at risk' population, and elimination of Mother to child Transmission".

We need to supporting people living with HIV to embrace modern family planning methods. Some of the beneficiaries of National insurance system are the people living with HIV for example, most health insurance companies apart from Jubilee Insurance Company do not cover for HIV testing. We are also talked about the implementation of the AIDS Trust Fund and how it will help in funding for HIV related services.

Ugandan farmers call on United Nations to sever ties with Bidco Africa

Lake Victoria farmers cite Bidco land-grabbing, environmental destruction and human rights violations

The Bugala Farmers Association has called on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to sever its ties with Bidco Africa, a Kenya-based edible oil producer accused of land-grabbing, human rights violations and environmental disasters in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Over 100 farmers lost their land to Bidco when, in partnership with the local government, the company deforested more than 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) of rain forest and smallholder farms on Bugala Island on Lake Victoria to make way for one of the largest palm oil plantations in Africa.  In a petition delivered to the UNDP Kampala office on 28 January, the Bugala Farmers Association called on the UNDP to investigate the organisation’s recent announcement that Business Call to Action (BCtA), a UNDP offshoot, concluded an agreement with Bidco Africa. “For those who know the real business practices of Bidco Africa and its CEO Vimal Shah, the embrace by BCtA of Bidco Africa is a tragedy for smallholder farmers and a major stain on the reputation of UNDP,” the petition says. The petition cites Bidco Africa’s failure to comply with court orders to compensate the farmers for their land; the company’s labour practices in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya; alleged tax evasion in Kenya; and the deforestation of land for its palm oil production in Uganda. The deforestation has become so bad that the World Bank, originally a sponsor of the project, had to withdraw its support. “The Bugala Farmers Association calls on UNDP and its senior leadership to examine the morally questionable association of such a distinguished U.N. organisation with such a blatant violator of human rights that is Bidco Africa,” the petition says. “The evidence of Bidco Africa’s poor business practices is well documented, and UNDP must immediately disassociate itself with such a company.” The petition continues: “Bidco Africa, which claims to adhere to the U.N. Global Compact, is in fact in violation of all U.N. Global Compact principals, from human rights to protection of the environment. Against the backdrop of such repeated violations, the UNDP/BCtA’s partnership with Bidco Africa is a violation of UNDP’s core mission and principals.” When the farmers presented their petition at the UNDP office in Kampala, security officers blocked them at the compound gate and confiscated video filmed by accompanying media. UNDP officials refused to meet the farmers, and suggested that the petition – which is addressed to UNDP Administrator Helen Clark – could only be delivered at the organisation’s headquarters in New York City. Only after a four-hour wait was the petition officially received by a UNDP receptionist in Kampala. In addition to Administrator Clark, the petition is addressed to Peter Liria, Chief Ethics Officer, Director of the Ethics Office; Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Director Regional Bureau for Africa; and Mila Rosenthal, Director of Communications; among others. The UNDP has not responded to the farmers’ petition since it was presented on 28 January.

Understanding Uganda’s Election results 2016.

Dr Kiggundu announced results of 26,223 PS (polling stations) and leaving out 1,787 polling stations.

With 15,277,198 registered voters, a PS has on average 545 voters.

1,787 PS on average have 974,664 registered voters with an assumption that this number can go up or down depending on which districts are affected most. (Kampala has 1,338 with only 1,014,294 voters so u can see what I mean).

The left out voters constitute a 6.4% of the registered voters that if am to borrow Kiggundu’s statement (Giving this number to Besigye wouldn’t affect the winner), adding the 6.4% to KB would bring his percentage to averagely 42% and bringing Museveni‘s to 53%.

Now here is the trick that comes with numbers.

If I really want to have a serious effect on those numbers, I only take out districts and polling stations that can give KB a serious margin. It’s at this point that I want you to look at the most affected districts in eliminated PSs.

Jinja only reported 11 out 399 PS leaving 388 PSs out

Rukungiri only reported 3 out of 276 PS leaving out 273

Kyenjojo only reported 60 out of 337 PS leaving out 277

Kampala left out 162, Kabale left out 190, Wakiso left out 119.

Jinja, Kampala, Wakiso and Kabale and high populous district that can project eliminated voters to be of significance and also believed to give opposition strength to bring down the 60% to a below 55% at a fair level.

Questions.

1.Why did Kiggundu’s commission leave out these PSs? 
2.Was it a strategic move to keep the NRM house happy that they won with a high percentage by eliminating those PSs where KB is believed to have performed good?

3.Were they trying to catch up with NRM opinion polls of a 70%?

4.Who is to blame for this level of incompetence at the district level?

"From Dr Kiggundu’s released results, we shall explore all angles; all corners from those few numbers till we get the answers we so much desire.Which districts had the highest percentage increase in registered voters since 2011?"

Amudat had the highest increase with a 72% (21,039 in Y11 and 36,203 in Y16) and this district submitted in all its PS( polling stations). In this District Museveni had a whopping 279% increase in his votes from 6,658 in Y11 to 25,262 in Y16. The closest contender Besigye lost ground to this district he won in 2011 from 13,262 votes in Y11 to a paltry 521 votes (yes u read that right 521 votes) in Y16, contributing to a 96% decline in that district.

Buvuma came in second with 44% increase in registered voters yet even this district, Museveni won it and he had a 75% increase in his votes compared to those of Y11. Yes even the inaccessible Buvuma submitted in all its PSs to EC in time.

This pattern continues for 15 districts in ascending order with the highest number of increased registered voters and all these 15, Museveni won them. The Likes of Kyegwegwa (43%), Buhweju (38%) Kole (33%), Kibaale (32%) Apac (32%) plus some more, and in all these 15 leading districts (in the %ge number of registered voters) Museveni won in all of them.

The irony with the above districts all submitted in their PSs or at least they were left with 1 or 2 PSs.

Museveni won in all of the above districts with a resounding victory and this is the case with the top 15 districts which had a higher percentage increase in registered voters.

One thing with numbers, they speak a lot, and the patterns can be found with further scrutiny. Are these patterns a well-orchestrated plan to make these districts have a higher number increase in registered voters who can favor Museveni in tallies or is it a mere coincidence?

Was it a well thought strategy, that in the above 7 districts, 4 of them (Amudat, Apac, Buvuma Kibaale, 2 of which are in national parks) are marked hard to access for most of their villages, which gives an upper hand to change results and also a hard time for opposition to man up the results? Or it’s just a coincidence.

#UgandaElcetoralCommission #UgandaElectionResults #UgandaDecides  #Museveni #Besigye #Amama #Uganda2016 #Uganda  #PearlOfAfrica #USA

The rot in Uganda health care system deteriorates every day.

500 Ugandan doctors working in Kenya

One Mwangi, a Kenyan medical doctor recently posted this statement on social media and it has been haunting me for a while.

“I have come to learn two things about Ugandans. You only complain about your healthcare system when something is wrong with you as an individual. Secondly you vote a government back into power that for the last 30 years has failed to bring your healthcare system into the 3rd world without taking it into account. You are a 4th world medical power that produces 1st world doctors. Makerere Medical School today would rank top 4th in Africa.”

Mwangi added that anyone who lectures at that Makerere Medical School is a world class doctor. Forget about those in private practice. Uganda government should concentrate on Mulago National hospital, and regional referral hospitals such as Jinja, Mbarara and Gulu as centres of excellence.

“My boss is a Ugandan doctor who left because of not just poor pay but poor infrastructure. He now earns 700,000 kshs. Your President has only done one thing that we Kenyans respect him for, bring you stability and build a powerful army,” he added.

"In terms of service delivery he is an absolute failure! We are told that Museveni cannot even get treatment in Mulago. How do you choose your own personal doctor to investigate poor service delivery? No wonder she did not name poor remuneration of doctors as a problem."

Mwangi concluded by judging Ugandans for the health systems failure, “So, you as Ugandans are to blame for your poor healthcare system. We have about 500 Ugandan doctors working here and they feel nothing for you because they think you are the cause. So style up and put the government to task. If you value your lives you should put doctors in a separate class of servants. In all first world countries they are among the highest paid individuals and they are made to account for that money through their work. It's only in Uganda where witch doctors earn more than their medical counterparts. You should be ashamed!”

All ANIMALS are equal, but SOME animals are more equal than others

According to a story published by the Daily Monitor on 14th February, President Museveni has ordered that former Information Minister and Nakaseke Woman MP, Ms Rose Namayanja, who survived a motor accident last year, be flown to India for a fresh operation.

Sources told Sunday Monitor that Ms Namayanja, the NRM’s national treasurer, was on steady recovery before the doctors at Nakasero Hospital realised that the nail they had implanted in her broken right thigh was about to give way.

Sources say the X-ray conducted by the doctors showed that the nail they had fixed in her fractured thigh was too small yet they needed a thicker one.

They recommended that she seeks medical attention from a specialised hospital in India to save the situation before it becomes worse.

President’s quick action

When the President received this explanation; he ordered that Ms Namayanja be flown to India immediately. She left the country on Thursday. She is expected to spend there between three to five weeks. The hospital could not be readily established.

When contacted yesterday, Mr. Rogers Mulindwa, the communications officer at the NRM secretariat, confirmed that Namayanja had been referred to India for specialised treatment.

Since October last year, Ms Namayanja has been nursing a femur bone fracture she sustained in a car accident in Kigogwa on the Kampala-Gulu highway.

Uganda Government should equip its hospitals instead of sending "blessed" few abroad for treatment.

In my opinion, yes it was good for the government to come in and take the Minister to India for better health services because it was a matter of saving her life. But who cares about the 19 mothers die every day while giving birth? Who cares about those poor mothers lying on Mulago hospital floors with their babies waiting for a vacant bed? About 6,000 women in Uganda die every year during childbirth, and a woman stands a 1 in 13 chance of dying while giving birth within her lifetime. Only 59 percent of births between 2006 and 2011 were delivered by a doctor or nurse/midwife, and only 57 percent were delivered in a health facility (UDHS 2011).

Who cares about that midwife who has to deliver an average of 10 mothers a day? Who cares about how much she earns?

Who cares about the shortage of HIV ARV drugs in the country? Yes the Global Fund helped by frontloading the medicine but what will happen after nine months when the medicine is finished?

People in Northern Uganda are dying of Hepatitis B and nothing is being done about it. Who cares? Who cares about poor Ugandan who cannot even afford to buy a certain type of medicine prescribed by a doctor?

When will this habit of sending “big people” abroad for treatment stop? Can you imagine how much tax payers’ money is going to be spent in just three weeks? May be we should all migrate to India since Uganda has invested in Indian hospitals. If Ms. Namayanja had advocated for better health care in district may be she would be getting treatment from Nakaseke hospital instead of India. To make matters worse, she might treated by a Ugandan doctor who went to India in search of greener pastures.

In summary it is high time that Uganda government wakes up and improves the health care system. Uganda Government should equip its hospitals instead of sending "blessed" few abroad for treatment. Increase salaries of health workers to stop them from seeking for greener pastures. Since we have the best doctors in Africa, all we need is the right equipment, medicine and motivation of health workers.

UGX45bn spent on printing ballot papers abroad when there is drug shortage in Uganda

On January 28, 2016, Uganda’s Electoral Commission received about 16 million ballot papers for next month’s presidential election. 

The total cost of printing ballots is estimated at UGX45bn approximately US$12,949,650. This is a lot of money which could have been used to cover part of drug supply gap, had the government used local machinery to printed ballot papers in country. The Global Fund has 

The Executive Director of Uganda Electoral Commission, Dr. Badru Kiggundu blames the huge cost on distrust, arguing that this was denying the country’s elections body a chance to develop capacity as the case is in other countries.

The consignment, aboard Ethiopian Airlines, was delivered at the Entebbe International Airport and witnessed by the polling body’s officials, election observers and political party representatives.

Weighing about 67 tonnes (67,000Kgs), the ballots have been printed by South African company Pal Media Pty. The elections body boss, Dr Badru Kiggundu, said the company, although it had not previously printed for Uganda’s polls, had capacity because it had printed ballots for other countries.

UK firm TALL Security Print will soon deliver ballots for sub-county chairpersons and sub-county directly-elected councilors; UAE’s Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House for district chairpersons, district directly-elected councilors and sub-county women councilors while local printer Picfare Industries will deliver ballots for municipality mayors, municipality councilors and special interest group councilors.

Uganda facing HIV drugs shortage

Uganda is facing a shortage of essential drugs in Government health facilities, according to the latest report, “Stock status report as at 1st October 2015,” by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Pharmacy division.

The report shows most of essential medicines such as reproductive health commodities, TB drugs, Antiretroviral medicines, anti-malarial medicines, vaccines like polio oral trivalent, measles, hepatitis B and BCG vaccines that treat common diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and opportunistic infections, diarrhoea, TB, diabetes and hypertension are not readily available. 

The supply gap for adult antiretroviral therapy is US $ 47,425,412, Equivalent to 163,617,671,400 Uganda shillings.

According to the Uganda Network of AIDS Service Organisations about 240,000 patients on publicly funded treatment programs are at risk because of the shortage, forcing them to take lower dosages or none at all.

Some activists said they were concerned the government was spending too much on measures designed to help them win presidential and parliamentary elections in February rather than on medicines. Officials denied the charge.

In Uganda about 1.5 million people, or about 4 percent of the population, is living with the HIV virus, of which about 820,000 receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs that help prevent the infection turning into full-blown AIDS.

"We're preparing to secure a loan of $200 million and we hope that will be able to plug the funding gap," Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi told Reuters, denying the state was neglecting HIV victims.

Global Fund rushes HIV drugs to Uganda amid shortage

The Global Fund, a partnership that sends HIV drugs to poor countries, says it plans to send an advance supply of antiretroviral therapy to Uganda, after the East African country ran out three months before the end of last year.

"The Global Fund has already delivered shipments of drugs as scheduled for existing patients and is front-loading an additional 12-month supply of drugs," Seth Faison, the Fund's head of communications, said in an email response to questions.

"The first consignment of the 12-month front-load will arrive next month, he said. But he acknowledged that front-loading the delivery of drugs, while not increasing the total amount of drugs it sends, was a "short-term solution."

#UgandaDecides.