Africa-Press – Uganda. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has called on the government to start preparing to take full charge of health sector financing as they plan to end their support following the launch of a 10-year National Health Supply Chain Roadmap.
In his remarks following the launch of the roadmap in Kampala, the USAID mission director, Mr Richard Nelson said: “As the health supply chain system in Uganda transitions to full government of Uganda ownership, the roadmap will also inform coordinated support with development partners and the government of Uganda to ensure that programmes are tailored to Uganda’s unique health commodities and supply chain needs.”
Mr Richard said the United States is Uganda’s closest health systems partner and they have been supporting Uganda to strengthen its health sector for many years.
Through USAID, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US government has focused significant energy and resources in strengthening Uganda’s health supply chain and improved the national quantification process for medicines, ensuring an optimal and uninterrupted supply of quality medicines.
He said in 2021 alone, the US government provided $126 million to procure essential health commodities, including the purchase of antiretroviral drugs worth $77 million.
“An efficient health supply chain is the backbone that supports effective operations of the functional health system. The roadmap lays out a blueprint for the government to plan, facilitate, finance and effectively manage the national health supply chain system independent of donor support as we move towards a middle income status.”
“So, once again, I call upon the Government of Uganda to follow this roadmap and increasingly take charge of the governance and financing of the health supply chain systems. The development partners will stand with you along the way. Let me also point out that ten years is not a long time. There is no time to waste as we begin our march toward this goal. The transition process should commence this financial year if at all possible,” he said.
Mr Richard said over the past 15 years, they have seen clear progress in the national health supply chain system. Yet, challenges remain.
He said a recent assessment of more than 1,700 health facilities found that 61 percent of them are not yet connected to the national electricity grid, and 73 percent do not have access to the internet.
Additionally, most health workers use their personal internet connections to transmit health facility data to the national databases, while 83 percent of these health facilities do not have designated supply chain staff in service.
The other challenges he stated include regular supply shortages at health facilities; understaffing, especially at Health Centre IVs; and limited domestic financing of essential medicines and health supplies.
He said their hope is that the roadmap will provide motivation and a pathway for Uganda to strengthen its capacity to fully manage its own supply chain systems and ensure that there are health commodities available exactly when people need them, in the amounts they need and in the place they need them.
Presenting the key highlights of Uganda’s 10-year Health Supply Chain Roadmap, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine said one of the objectives is to establish a transition plan with goals geared towards strengthening GoU ownership of operational responsibility for a fully functional and sustainable national supply chain system, among others.
She said government would increase funding for national health commodities from the current 30 percent to over 40 percent within three years.
“In five years (medium term) government of Uganda is to increase funding for National health commodities to 60 percent, in 10 years (Long Term) government to increase funding for national health commodities to over 90 percent,” she said.
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