{UAH} Uganda, US partner to revive Lango’s crippled health system

Uganda, US partner to revive Lango's crippled health system

     

Beneficiaries. Pregnant women attend antenatal care at Aber Hospital Oyam District in 2013. The US government and Uganda have launched a new five-year health programme aimed at providing better health services to the nine districts in Lango sub-region PHOTO BY BILL OKETCH.  

In Summary

The programme. The programme will focus on maternal and neonatal child health, family planning, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria, nutrition and hygiene, among other health issues.

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By BILL OKETCH

Lira. Lango sub-region is grappling with poor health services that have failed health service delivery. 
Nine districts constitute Lango sub-region, including Amolatar, Alebtong, Apac, Dokolo, Kole, Kwania, Lira, Otuke and Oyam.
The health sector of the sub-region, according to health experts, suffers shortage of human resources, lack of supplies, commodities and insufficient equipment to provide health services.

These challenges have resulted in poorer health indicators for the sub-region compared to the rest of the country. 
In 2014, six mothers and 184 new-born babies died in Lira District in a span of six months mainly due to the district health system's inability to offer comprehensive emergency obstetric and new-born care services, according to the district health team.

The Health Information Management System captured in the first and second quarter of 2013/2014 showed that 80 per cent stillbirths were registered, out of 5,139 deliveries conducted in Lira District during the same period, according to Mr Edmond Acheka, the Lira District assistant health officer in-charge of maternal and child health
Official statistics indicate that Lango has high HIV rates, which stand at 7.2 per cent compared to the country's 6.2 per cent.

Limited access to healthcare
While 93 per cent of mothers attend first antenatal care clinic, 33 per cent of the mothers in Lango still get delivered at the hands of untrained traditional birth attendants (TBAs).
Mr James Otim, the chief of party of John Snow, Inc (JSI), says: "Our own behaviour has worsened our health situation. You test a person [and find him HIV] positive. Then he says he is going to ask his wife whether he should start treatment and he disappears."

JSI is a public health management consulting and research organization dedicated to improving the health of individuals and communities in the US and around the globe.
Mr Otim says there are people who have tuberculosis (TB) but have refused to seek treatment.

Nonetheless, the US and the Ugandan governments have launched a new five-year, $32.8 million (about Shs121 billion) health programme aimed at providing better health services to the nine districts in the sub-region.

The Usaid Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services in northern Uganda programme is projected to cover the region's estimated population of 2.3 million people. It will focus on maternal and neonatal child health, family planning, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene.
"We are going to host a large number of young people coming out of health training schools. We shall deploy medical officers from the universities, deploy midwives and nurses from the nursing training schools to give additional support to the health facilities," Mr Otim says.
"Whereas we give them opportunity to train and gain skills, while there, they will also relieve the health workers of the heavy workload."

Usaid Uganda's Mission director, Mr Joakim Parker, said the US government remains committed to helping all Ugandans build the kind of country they want and deserve.
"Whether it is controlling the spread of HIV, ensuring that new mothers and babies receive proper healthcare, or building stronger and more effective health systems, the US invests in Uganda to see its people live up to their full potential," he said at the launch of the programme in Lira Town on July 26.
Dr Pamela Donggo, the JSI deputy chief of party, said: "This district-led partnership will increase health care provider availability and expand service delivery and quality."

The challenges
The Lira District chairperson, Mr Alex Oremo, noted that local governments in Uganda are struggling with financial and human resource constraints, which have continued to impact negatively on service delivery.
"We pledge to use this project to ensure that, among others; youth friendly spaces and access to quality healthcare is enhanced so that we reap from youth dividend. We are concerned about how our younger generation is struggling with many health-related challenges amidst limited financial support to the local governments," Mr Oremo says. 
 The Usaid programme will work with the Ministry of Health, local institutions, and communities to design and implement health systems, strengthen strategies to scale up high-impact, evidence-based interventions at the national, sub-regional, district, and community levels.

Objectives
The five-year programme that started in February, will enhance health by increasing the districts' capacity to apply proven best practices and services to all citizens in the sub-region. It is also expected to promote the adoption of healthy behaviours by raising awareness at the individual, provider, and community levels of the importance of reducing delays in seeking care and lower socio-cultural barriers to service uptake.

"One of our key objectives is increasing the availability and accessibility to health services, improving health systems for quality services but also improving the adoption of health-seeking behaviours among the population," Dr Pamela Donggo, JSI deputy chief of party.

     

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