Uganda

The Constitution includes a chapter on social and economic objectives which covers access to health services for citizens. Specifically section XIV provides that the State shall endeavour to fulfil the fundamental rights of all Ugandans to social justice and economic development, ensuring, among others, that all Ugandans enjoy rights and opportunities and access to education, health services, clean and safe water, work, decent shelter, adequate clothing, food security and pension and retirement benefits.

The Constitution tasks the State to take all practical measures to ensure the provision of basic medical services to the population (section XX). It establishes a Health Service Commission tasked, among other things, to advise the President in relation to health services, appoint persons in the health services, review the terms and conditions of services, trainings and qualification of members of the health services (articles 169 to 171). The Constitution also refers to a Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Management Commission for Uganda to deal with natural and man-made disasters (art. 249).

No current national health policy was located in the country.

The main goal of the Uganda Ministry of Health Strategic Plan 2020/21 - 2024/25 is to strengthen the health system and its support mechanisms with a focus on Primary Health Care to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030 (Page 62).

The plan identifies several key priorities and objectives, including strengthening health sector governance, improving human resources for health, increasing access to nationally coordinated services for communicable and non-communicable diseases, enhancing disease surveillance and epidemic control, ensuring the availability of quality medicines and technologies, and improving health infrastructure and logistics (Pages 62-70).

The document references several laws and regulations that form the legal framework for the health sector. These include the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda of 1995, the Public Health Act of 1935, the Local Government Act of 1997 (page 13), the Uganda Cancer Institute Act of 2015, the Uganda Heart Institute Act of 2015, the Uganda Immunization Act of 2016 (page 19), the Indigenous and Complementary Medicines Act of 2020 (page 47).

The strategic plan outlines specific actions to enhance the legal and regulatory framework of the health sector. For example, under objective 1 dedicated to the strengthening of health sector governance management and coordination for UHC, the strategic plan highlights the following interventions or actions: strengthening of policy and regulation (intervention 1.3); submission of the draft Bill for the Uganda Health Professionals Authority (action under intervention 1.4); development of NHIS regulations (action under intervention 1.11) (pages 70-72). Furthermore, the plan highlight the formulation and enforcement of by-laws for USH at household and institutional levels (action under intervention 3.4) and development and dissemination of the national food fortification policy and law (action under intervention 3.5) (pages 73-74). Under the Results Framework section, the plan sets specific goals and targets such as the development and review of laws, regulations and policies for UHC (output 1.4, page 104); enactment of the Health Professionals Authority law (target under output 1.3, page 105); development of standards, guidelines and SOPs (output 1.4, page 105); development of the National food fortification policy and law (output 3.6, page 112).