Local government leaders, under their
umbrella organisation Uganda Local Government Association (ULGA), have asked
the Ministry of Health to allocate them at least 40 per cent of the budget,
saying they do more work than the central government which takes the biggest
chunk. This follows the proposal from the 2012/13 national budget frame work
paper which suggests 17 per cent, way below the 35 per cent allocated to the
health sector under the local government in the last financial year. The ULGA
vice president, Ms Josephine Kasya, during the ULGA negotiation and advocacy
meeting held in Kampala yesterday, said there was need to harmonise the funds
given to the two sectors. The president of the same organisation, Mr Peter
Odok, expressed disappointment over the level of “selfishness” at the central
government. “If we cannot get 50 per cent, let the ministry give us 40 per cent
and we will use it to improve service delivery rather than giving 83 per cent
of the funds to people who sit in offices and draw plans to implement yet they
don’t want to give the money for implementation,” Mr Odok said. The local government
officials accused the central government of a deliberate move to under look
them, an allegation which the central government representative from the
Ministry of Health, Dr Isac Ezati, said would be addressed by the relevant
authorities.
Thursday 17 May 2012
Basic maternal care could ease Uganda's fistula problem
Ugandan women face a higher risk of fistula due to
a lack of skilled birth attendants in the country. The Commissioner Clinical
for Clinical Services Dr Jacinto Amanduaau old Daily Monitor that 15 per cent of
labours in Uganda require the aid of a professional midwife, but most women
have to do without such essential medical care. Fistula is usually caused when
a woman is in labour for too long or the delivery is obstructed. The condition
can cause an abnormal opening of the birth canal which often leaves the woman
with a recurring problem with leaking urine and feacal matter. Dr Amandau was
speaking at the launch of the country's new fistula care programme.
Authorities in Uganda recognise there is a fistula problem and they want to ascertain
the scale of it and develop new ways to address the issue. The latest official
figures are from 2006 and show that 2.64 per cent (200,000) of Ugandan women
have suffered from symptoms of fistula.
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