UGANDA NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY

GROUP 1 AND 2
NAME REGISTRATION NUMBER
WAISWA KOSSAMU 2021-B452-20009
MUGAYA FREDRICK 2021-B452-20010
WAAKO BENARD 2021-B452-21104
MUSEMBYA BENARD 2021-B452-21111
OROMA GEOFREY 2021-B452-20007
NAKATO GRACE 2021-B452-20015
MUGABO KIIZA 2021-B452-20008
FELICITY KEMUNTO 2021-B452-21299
HILLARY YUKUNI 2021-B452-20014
AYISE MARY 2021-B452-20794
KIHUNDE PROSSY 2021-B452-21164
N/S NAME REG NUMBER

1
ALLAN MBONYE 2021-B452-20658
2
AGNES NAMUTEBI 2021-B452-20801
3
BRIAN SSEMWOGERERE 2021-B452-20019
4
MARION ARINDA 2021-B452-20017
5
MARTIN KIBUUKA 2021-B452-20023
6
NICHOLAS MUTAGUBYA 2021-B452-20024
7
PAUL WACHA 2021-B452-20025
8
RICHARD BATA 2021-B452-20022
9
SEMU ISABIRYE 2021-B452-20021
10
PONSIANO KATENDE 2021-B452-21018
11
GRAHAM GUM 2021-B452-21021
INTRODUCTION
Definitions
 Health Policy:
Decisions, plans, and actions undertaken to achieve specific health-related goals within a society.
 Policy Analysis:

The process of evaluating and assessing potential policies to determine their effectiveness and
implications.

 Policy Implementation:

The translation of a policy into action, involving the execution of programs, laws, or initiatives.

 Policy Evaluation:

The assessment of a policy's impact and outcomes to determine its success or failure.
 Stakeholders:

Individuals or groups with an interest in or affected by a particular policy, including

government officials, citizens, and advocacy organizations.
 Legislation:
 Laws passed by a legislative body that guide and regulate behavior, often forming the basis
for public policies.
 Regulation:

Rules and directives established by government agencies to enforce laws and ensure
compliance.
 Public Administration:

The implementation and management of public policies and programs by government

agencies.
 Advocacy:

The process of supporting or promoting a particular policy or cause, often through public
campaigns or lobbying.
 Public Goods:

services that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning they are available to everyone
and one person's use does not diminish their availability for others.
 Policy Brief:

A concise document that presents information and analysis to inform policymakers about a
specific issue or proposal.
 Public Policy:

Decisions and actions by a government to address societal issues and achieve specific goals.
POLICY LEGAL FRAMEWORK

 The 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda provides for all people in
Uganda to enjoy equal rights and opportunities, to have access to health services,
clean and safe water and education, among many other things.

 The Public Health Act Cap 281 was enacted in 1935 with the main objective of
ensuring protection of Public Health in Uganda.

 The Local Government Act 1997 (sec 97) provides for the role of line ministries
as monitoring, supervision and coordination of Government initiatives, policies
and projects as well as provision of technical assistance to Local Governments
(LGs).
POLICY LEGAL FRAMEWORK

 The primary aim of the National Health Policy is to inform, clarify, strengthen and
prioritize the role of Government in shaping the Ugandan Health system in all its
dimensions including organization of Healthcare services, strengthening regulation and
health assurance, prevention of diseases.

 Promotion of good health through cross-sectoral actions, access to technologies,

developing human resources for health, promoting medical diversity, building innovation
and health research base, developing better financial protection strategies and investments
in health.

 It mandates MoH to organize and plan, manage the health system, monitor and evaluate
provision of health services, carryout health research and initiate health legislation.
POLICY MANDATE
 The mandate of the MoH is to initiate policy formulation, coordinate overall health sector activities and
bring together stakeholders at the national, sub-national and community level for delivery of quality
health services.

In terms of development and maintenance of the National Health System, the MoH is responsible for:

a) Governance and Leadership

 Policy formulation and dialogue

 Collaboration with all stakeholders

 Coordination of health programe

 Ensuring transparency and accountability

Cont’d

a) Strategic planning, resource mobilization and budgeting

b) Setting regulations, standards and guidelines development and dissemination

c) Supervision, Monitoring and evaluation of the overall sector performance

d) Human resource capacity development and technical support

e) Infrastructure development

f) Provision of nationally coordinated services such as Disease Surveillance, disaster

response and epidemic control and Information Education Communication (IEC) /
Behaviour Change Communication services.

g) Health systems research, innovation and development.

HEALTH POLICY GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

 The key oversight functions of the health sector will be managed through the Minister
and the Ministers of State. Duties of these have been defined by Government.
 The Permanent Secretary coordinates resources for effective management of Health
Funds. The work of the Permanent Secretary will be supported through the following
units:

a) Administration

b) Internal Audit

c) Finance and Accounting

d) Procurement.
Cont’d
 The Permanent Secretary will work through the Office of the Director General Health Services (DGHS) for guiding
technical direction.

 The DGHS coordinates technical functions for delivery of Health. The work of the DGHS will be coordinated
through the four directorates:

a) Directorate for Strategy, Policy & Development

b) Directorate of Curative Services,

c) Directorate of Public Health and

d) Directorate of Health Governance and Regulation.

The MoH headquarters was restructured in June 2016 and now comprises 4 Directorates namely; Strategy, policy
and development; Public Health; Curative Services; and Health Governance and Regulation and there are 20
departments headed by Commissioner under these directorates.
THE NATIONAL LEGAL AND POLICY

 Investing in the promotion of people’s health and nutrition ensures that they remain productive and

contribute to national development.

 The Government of Uganda (GoU) recognizes this obligation to provide basic health services to its

people and to promote proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

 Uganda Vision 2040 identifies human capital development as one of the fundamentals that need to be

strengthened to accelerate the country’s transformation and harnessing the demographic dividend.

 The NDP III places emphasis on these fundamental human rights, and human capital development is

one of the program areas with focus on increasing the stock of a skilled and healthy workforce towards

the production of human capital to accelerate the realization of the demographic dividend.
Cont’d

The ultimate aim is to ensure that Uganda achieves its Vision 2040 aspirations, the NDP III targets and the
health-related SDG targets by 2030.

The 3Rd NHP goal is to “Increase household income and improve quality of life through increasing
productivity, inclusiveness and well-being of the population Regional and International instruments,
conventions, protocols and agreements

The MoH endeavours to comply with a number of regional and international instruments, conventions
protocols and agreements.These include;

1. Global/ universal protocols & agreements

❖ The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Agenda (SDG1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 & 10) as universal standards
towards health
Cont’d

 PHC Declarations of Astana, Al mata, International Health Regulations,

International Health Partnerships on Aid Effectiveness, World health
Organisation regulations and guidelines, United Nations Secretary General’s
Global Strategy on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Children’s and
Adolescents’ Health, International Declaration for Human Rights, United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
Continental/ African standard health protocols / agreements
❖ Africa Health Agenda International Conference 2019, The Common African
Position of the African Union, Abuja Declaration 2001 to allocate 15% of
national budget on health etc
Cont’d

3. Regional/ East Africa Community Health Protocol/ Agreements.

● Treaty for the establishment of the EAC (Article 118) which seeks to promote joint action
towards the prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases and
to control pandemics and epidemics that might endanger the health and welfare of the
residents of the Community and cooperating in facilitating mass immunization and other
public health community campaigns.

PURPOSE OF THE PLAN POLICY

The purpose of this plan is to provide strategic direction and goal of the MoH over the next
Five-Year period 2020 /21 – 2024/25, as well as guide on the priority investment areas and
expected results
PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLICY

❖ The development of this MoH SP was guided by the National Planning Authority (NPA) Sector Development

Planning Guidelines in fulfilment of government’s requirement to develop institutional development plans in

line with the National Planning Framework

❖ A core writing team was set up under the MoH Department of Planning, Financing and Policy chaired by the

Commissioner Planning, Financing and Policy.

❖ A review of existing national policies, plans and frameworks was done to inform the plan, and harmonize /

align with the already existing planning framework.

❖ This document is designed to be practical, user-friendly and to be actively used by MoH management and staff

and related stakeholders, to guide them in their operational/work planning processes over the next five years
Cont’d

❖ These included Vision 2040, the NDP III, NHP II, HSDP, MoH SP 2015/16 – 2019/20,

sector performance reports, among others

❖ The draft plan was reviewed by the Health Sector Budget Working Group and circulated

to all Heads of Departments for review and input.

❖ A validation workshop was conducted with different stakeholders for input and

consensus.

❖ The draft was also presented through the institutional review and approval structures i.e

SMC, HPAC and Top Management

SITUATION ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT HEALTH SECTOR
 Health Sector Development Plan 2014/15 to 2020/21, ministry of health pledged to
implement strategic intervention with the main objective of improving the health and
lives of Ugandans.
 The implementation of these interventions was through a strong collaborative partnership
guided by the principles outlined in the International Health Partnerships and related
Initiatives (IHP), the Paris Declaration on Harmonization and Alignment and the Accra
Agenda.
 Not only the key challenges facing Uganda’s health system were addressed but also set
out priorities and key areas on which to focus health investment in the medium term, for
both public and private partners, in order to optimally contribute to the attainment of both
the health sector goals and the national goals as outlined in the NDP II.
 Three thematic areas were focused on to attain the outcome targets
1.Health promotion across the life course (Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and
Adolescent Health & addressing social determinants)
2. Non Communicable Disease prevention and control
3. Communicable Disease prevention & control.
CONT….
Additionally, investment was prioritized in seven health system areas including;
 Health governance and partnerships
 Service delivery systems.
 Health information.
 Health financing.
 Health products and Technologies
 Health workforce.
 Health infrastructure.
CONT….

 The health sector undertook detailed and exhaustive performance reviews to assess
progress and provide evidence which informs the direction and priorities for the present
strategic plan.
 The rapid population growth puts severe strains on the Ugandan health system. In spite
of an overall improvement in the national health indicators over the last five years, they
remain unsatisfactory and disparities continue to exist across the country. At impact
level, Uganda has made good progress in reducing child mortality and increasing life
expectancy. A child born today is expected to live up to 64 years by 2023 compared
with 46 years in 2000.
 Uganda has an area of 241,000 km2 and a projected population of 32.2 million. With an
average annual growth rate of 3.2% Uganda’s population is expected to increase to 44
million by 2020 and 46 million in 2021 raising the population density from 164 to 228
CONT….
 Such a population increase will place more demands on the health sector. Seventy four
percent of the population lives in rural areas. Economic growth rate has averaged 7% per
annum over the last 5 years.
 A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 4.69 (2020) birth/woman and a contraceptive prevalence rate
of 30.4% both contribute significantly to the increase in Uganda’s population. Uganda has
made progress in improving the health of its population:
 HIV prevalence reduced from 27% to 7% between 2000/01 and 2007/08 and now 5.8%,
7.2% among women and 4.3% among men (UPHIA-2020). Polio and guinea worm were
nearly eradicated and the prevalence of other vaccine preventable diseases has declined
sharply.
 The re-emergence of polio and guinea worm cases due to cross border migration remains a
challenge
CONT….

 Between 1995 and 2005, under-five mortality rate declined from 156 in 1995 to 137 deaths
per 1,000 live births, now at 42 death per 1000 live births (UDHS 2021). Infant mortality
rate decreased from 85 to 75 deaths now 31 deaths per 1,000 live births 2021; and maternal
mortality rate reduced from 527 to 435 per 100,000 live births between 1995 and 2005 to
336/100,000 in 2016 and now 189/100,000 live births (UBOS-2022).
 Underweight prevalence reduced from 23% to 16% over the same period, now at 4%
(Nutrition Profile USAID 2021); stunted growth from 41% to 38.5% and wasting increased
from 4% to 3.5%.
 Teenage pregnancy estimated at 25% in 2006 significantly contributes to overall maternal
mortality rate (MMR) in Uganda.
 The newborn mortality rate was 33 per 1000 live births in 2000 and decreased to 29 in
2006(Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2007). Despite improvements, these indices remain high.
CONT….

 Malaria, malnutrition, respiratory tract infections, AIDS, tuberculosis and perinatal

and neonatal conditions remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
Seventy percent of overall child mortality is due to malaria (32%), perinatal and
neonatal conditions (18%), meningitis (10%), pneumonia (8%), HIV and AIDS
(5.6%) and malnutrition (4.6%).
 Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are an emerging problem due to multiple
factors such as adoption of unhealthy lifestyles, increasing life expectancy and
metabolic side effects resulting from lifelong antiretroviral treatment.
 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), including those targeted for eradication, are
still occurring in Uganda. Gender inequalities including sexual and gender-based
violence (UBOS, 2007) remain a major hindrance to improvement of health
outcomes.
CONT….

 Seventy five percent of the disease burden in Uganda however is still preventable
through health promotion and disease prevention.

 These problems call for intensive, focused and well-coordinated collaboration

between the health sector and other stakeholders.

 The major determinants of health in Uganda include levels of income and

education, housing conditions, access to sanitation and safe water, cultural beliefs,
social behaviours and access to quality health services.
CONT….
 While the proportion of people living below the poverty line has
significantly decreased from 52% in 1992 to 31% in 2005, Uganda is still
a low-income developing country with income disparities spread across
the country.
 A direct relationship exists between poverty and prevalence of diseases
such as malaria, malnutrition and diarrhoea as they are more prevalent
among the poor than the rich households (UBOS, 2007).
 Three quarters of the households live in houses made of temporary
materials.
 There is limited physical accessibility of health facilities especially for
people with disabilities (PWDs). Health facilities infrastructure is old.
 Access to health services for women is further compounded by decision-
making processes in families: 40% of the women report that their
husbands make decisions about their own healthcare (UBOS, 2007).
CURRENT HEALTH POLICY FOR UGANDA.

 The health of the Ugandan population is central to the socio-economic transformation of the
country. The poor health status of our people undermined the economic benefits of attaining
middle income status of people by 2020 as it was planned. This was due to poor health service
delivery . We know that preventable diseases and health conditions are the major causes of poor
health in Uganda.

 Despite this knowledge and the steady progress made in the last two decades, the high levels of
maternal mortality, infant mortality, malnutrition, poor sanitation and hygiene are at
unacceptable levels.

 The Uganda health policy mandates MoH to organize , plan and manage the health system,
monitor and evaluate provision of health services, carryout health research and initiate health
legislation
MINISTRY OF HEALTH STRATEGIC POLICY DIRECTION
 Government through ministry of health will focus on health services that are
demonstrably cost-effective and have the largest impact on reducing mortality and
morbidity.
 The major contributors to the burden of disease at all levels will be given the highest
priority. These include malaria, STI/HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, Diarrhoea diseases,
acute lower respiratory tract infections, perinatal and maternal conditions attributable
to high fertility and poorly spaced births, vaccine preventable childhood illnesses,
malnutrition, injuries, and physical and mental disability.
 The cost-effective interventions, which will be implemented in an integrated manner
to address these priority health problems, will together constitute the Uganda
National Minimum Health Care Package. This package will be reviewed regularly.
MOH STAREGIC POLICY DOCUMENTS

1. 2nd National health policy 2010

2. Uganda Vision 2040

3. National health insurance bill

4. Third National Development Plan (NDPIII) 2020/21 – 2024/25

THE KEY STRATEGIC POLICY DIRECTION

 Focus on health services that are demonstrably cost-effective and have the largest impact
on reducing mortality and morbidity which constitute the Uganda National Minimum
Health Care Package

 Shift from facility-based to a household-based health delivery system. The main aim is
empowerment of households and communities to take greater control of their health by
promoting healthy practices and lifestyles. This shift will be anchored on preventive over
curative health service delivery approaches.

 Improve the nutrition status of the population especially for young children and women of
reproductive age resulting to reduced child stunting, improved maternal health, enhanced
micronutrient intake, and improved nutritional care.
Cont.

 policy shifts in the health delivery system from mainly public centered to a public-

private-partnership arrangement through adopting a universal health insurance system.

 Prevention, control, and management of non-communicable diseases

 Government in partnership with the private sector and other advanced countries will also

focus on building highly specialized health care services. Through specialized training

and increasing remuneration of health professionals and establishing international and

national hospitals in each regional city.

VISION
A responsive, resilient and people centered health system that protects and promotes the health and wellbeing of
all the people in Uganda.

MISSION
To promote and ensure Universal Health Coverage in Uganda through evidence-based and technically sound
policies, standards and strategies that are client centered.

CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

The Ministry of Health strives to coordinate the provision of user-friendly services by promoting the notion of
putting all clients in the sector at the forefront with openness to dialogue and feedback for purposes of progressive
improvement. Core values include
I. Client Focus and Responsiveness. The Ministry of Health endeavors to ensure that the Country’s health services
meet the client needs and expectations, and their interests will be the first priority of the health service. The health
system shall attend to all its clients’ needs, ideas, and feedback in a timely and professional manner.

II. Equity: The country’s health services ensure equal access to the same health services for individuals with the same
or similar health needs.

III. Respect: The country’s health system respects promotive health aspects of cultures and traditions of the people of
Uganda. The health system respects individual identity and autonomy of our partners in line with the professional
code of conduct and national policies.

IV. Professionalism: integrity and ethics Work in the country’s health system is to be performed with the highest level
of professionalism, integrity, honesty, openness and trust as detailed in the ethics guidelines enforced by
professional bodies to which the various actors are affiliated.

V. Professional: Development We value learning, feedback, coaching and mentoring by taking responsibility to gain
the required skills development to meet our clients’ needs.

VI. Transparency and Accountability: MOH ensure a high level of efficiency and effectiveness in the development
and management of the national health system. MOH believe in accountability for their performance, not only to
the political and administrative system, but, above all, to the community
PRINCIPLES
The Ministry of Health guiding principles aim at providing the highest affordable quality services and these include:

i. Effective Leadership :MOH believe that effective leadership should be structured, present and accessible. Leadership
strategy is based on a practice and overall management level support network which provides both personal and team
motivation, direction and accountability.

ii. Teamwork: The health sector is composed of a team from different professions. Therefore, MOH believe in teamwork
to reinforce the services from different disciplines all aiming at improving the overall care-giving experience.

iv. Partnerships Building: more strategic and effective partnership, exploring the interests and priorities of each party and
identifying shared strategic approaches and shared risks, as well as ensuring transparency, mutual accountability and value
money.

vi. Gender-sensitive and Responsive Health Care: A gender-sensitive and responsive national health delivery system
shall be achieved and strengthened through mainstreaming gender in planning and implementation of all health programs.

vii. Human rights approach :The Ministry of Health will ascertain that the rights to access quality health care and health
information are respected by all categories of individuals of the society
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
1. To
strengthen health sector governance, management and coordination for Universal Health
Coverage-UHC.
2. To strengthen human resources for health management and development.
3. To increase access to nationally coordinated services for communicable and
noncommunicable disease / conditions prevention and control.
4. To strengthen disease surveillance, epidemic control and disaster preparedness and response
at national and sub-national levels.
5. To ensure availability of quality and safe medicines, vaccines and technologies.
6. To improve functionality and adequacy of health infrastructure and logistics.
7. Accelerate health research, innovation and technology development.
Source;MOH Strategic plan manual 2020/2021-2024/2025 .
POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

 These plans shall be linked to the National Development Plan and other planning
frameworks implemented through the development of two five-year Strategic and
Investment plans.

 These plans shall be operationalized through the development of integrated annual work
plans developed with input from all stakeholders.

 Districts, hospitals and training institutions will develop their annual implementation plans
with input from relevant stakeholders and communities which will feed into the national
integrated work plans.

 Districts will be responsible for the development and implementation of their plans with
support from the center
INSTITUTIONAL AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF THE HEALTH POLICY
IN UGANDA

The MoH will advocate for introduction of the following reforms for enhanced institutional and
financial sustainability arrangements.
 Reorientation of health services more towards disease prevention and health promotion since
75% of the disease burden is preventable.
 Institutionalization of measurement and accountability by all stakeholders to strengthen
health leadership and governance for multisectoral action on addressing the determinants of
health.
 Integrated programming and budgeting for effective delivery from fragmented policies,
vertical programmes, budgets and services.
 Establishment of a Regional Technical Supervisory and Mentorship Structure.
INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY CONT

 Establishment of a disaster / Public Health Emergency Response mechanism for the health
sector.

 Mainstreaming off-budget financing into national budgets.

 Mainstreaming of RBF into the health sector financing.

 Implementation of pre-payment mechanisms like health insurance.

 Introduction of performance contracts for health workers.

 Scholarships and training programs should be targeted to addressing training needs for the
critical cadres in short supply and specialists.

 Recentralize some of the critical cadres in the health sector such as specialists, anaesthetists,
hospital managers, DHOs.
FINANCING FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY

 This section presents the financing framework of the plan. It provides the overall

and disaggregated costs of the plan and the strategies for mobilizing the required

financing.

 The financing cost was estimated based on the budgetary allocations in the budget

framework papers of the MoH for the past 3 years and annual projections of 15%

annual increments in budgetary allocations in the medium term at an ideal scenario.

SUMMARY OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN BUDGET

The funding sources include GoU medium term expenditure framework and external

financing. The summary of the SP Budget caters for the following:

 Wages

 Non-Wage recurrent

 Total Recurrent

 Total Development

 Total Budget.
THE INTERVENTIONS THAT CONSTITUTED THE MAJOR COST DRIVERS OVER THE
PLANNING PERIOD

 Reducing the burden of communicable diseases with focus on high burden

diseases (Malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, NTDs, Hepatitis B), epidemic prone diseases

and malnutrition across all age groups emphasizing PHC Approach.

 Developing and upgrading health infrastructure.

Interventions continue….
 Procuring, distributing, and maintaining appropriate medical equipment at all

levels of health service delivery.

 Increasing access to immunization against childhood diseases.

 Ensuring adequate HRH at all levels, with special focus on specialized and

super specialized human resources.

FUNDING GAP

 Depending on the resource envelope available, the funding gap is established

by MoFPED in percentage. During the implementation of the plan the financing

gap can be financed by additional sources from GoU, Development Partners or

off budget donors

Sources of funding:

● Government Revenues

● External development partners.

RESOURCE MOBILIZATION STRATEGY

The budgetary allocation to sector on average for the few years has been about 7%

( far below the 15% recommended) of the national budget.While the donor

community contributes significantly to the health sector, the overall resource

envelope for the health sector is inadequate.

During the implementation of this plan, GoU with support from HDPs shall

mobilize additional resources for implementation of this Plan.

Resources mobilization continues..
 Priority will also be given to the broadening of the resource base for funding

the health sector including implementation of the NHIS which shall be

universally accessible to all people in Uganda in the long term.

 The MoH shall also focus on building the capacity of both finance and non-

finance managers to ensure efficiency and transparency in the management of

finances.
STRATEGIES APPLIED TO REDUCE THE FUNDING GAP IN THE MEDIUM TERM

 Enhancing efficiency measures to reduce wastage to achieve better outcomes.

These include focusing more on integrated approach to programming,

improving of Public Financial Management, management of HRH, and use of

information systems.

 Advocacy for increased Public Financing from Government and HDPs.

Strategies continue..

 Implementation of Pre-payment Mechanisms such as National Health

Insurance, Community Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance to

reduce funding pressures.

 Improving public planning and procurement processes especially in the area

of governance and accountability,

 Resource tracking of off budget financing for MoH to ensure there are no

duplications and wastage

 The main objective of this Health Financing Strategy is to facilitate attainment of Universal Health
Coverage through making available the required resources for delivery of the essential package of
services for Uganda in an efficient
and equitable manner. The instruments to achieve universal health coverage are sound health financing
mechanisms.
 The strategic interventions herein are revenue collection, risk pooling and strategic purchasing. Thus in
the medium term, no person should face risk of impoverishment when accessing health care nor should
anybody forego medical services because of financial reasons
 Increased Budget Allocation
 Domestic Resource Mobilization
 External Aid and Partnerships
 Health Insurance Expansion
 Public-Private Partnerships
 Human Resource Development
 Disease Prevention and Control
 Community Health Financing
POLICY COMMUNICATION AND FEEDBACK MECHANISM
 Communication is the act of giving, receiving and sharing information in words,
talking or writing and is crucial for a successful team, whether with co-workers, bosses,
or departments within an organization.

FUNCTIONS OF POLICY COMMUNICATION

 Establishes community standards, ensuring that everyone is protected in terms of
communication within the organization.
 Emphasizes the importance of creating open dialogue, allowing individuals to ask questions, and
providing feedback to foster effective communication.
 Helps in creating feedback channels.
 Helps standardize communication tools like emails, text messages, phone calls, face-to-face
interactions, and video conferencing which is a key benefit.
 To ensure that the policies function efficiently in enhancing national development.
 Makes information more accessible.

 Can be instrument for supporting the systematic planning.

FEEDBACK MECHANISM

 The feedback mechanism involves the exchange of information between the sender and the recipient of a
communication. It can be verbal or nonverbal, using text, body language, or facial expressions.

Positive feedback encourages good communication, while negative feedback identifies areas for improvement. Theodora
Stanciu (23/2/2023) provides procedures for informing someone of a need.

Importance of feedback in communication

 It’s a tool that helps people evaluate themselves in communication.

 Confirmation of understanding without feedback, it’s possible that the sender won’t be aware that their
communication has been misunderstood.

 Improves communication

 Encourages positive behavior

 Identifies areas for improvement.

 Motivate and engages people

 It lowers employee’s communities/ population by 14.9% according to the recent studies.

 It improves efficiency

 It encourages active listening.

Effective healthcare systems, including those aligned with Uganda's health policies, rely on robust policy communication and feedback
mechanisms, which are facilitated by various aspects within the current Uganda health policy as stated below:

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

 With feedback sessions and public discussions, programs hope to encourage community engagement in the creation and application of
policies.

 Through town hall meetings, seminars, and outreach initiatives, efforts are sought to encourage community involvement and effectively
inform the public about health policy.

TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING

 To guarantee successful implementation at the local level, teach medical personnel on the specifics of the existing health policy.

 Enable medical professionals to act as informational sources for patients and the local population.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
 Establish a comprehensive monitoring and assessment framework to appraise the efficacy of communication
tactics and acquire valuable perspectives from stakeholders.
 Utilize assessment and monitoring data to improve communication strategies and deal with new problems.

FEEDBACK MECHANISM
 Provide feedback channels so that community members, patients, and healthcare professionals may share their
experiences and offer suggestions for how the policy should be implemented.
 To get input from a range of stakeholders, use suggestion boxes, internet platforms, and frequent surveys.

HEALTH EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS

 Run health education initiatives to help various population groups become more aware of and knowledgeable
about the existing health policy.
 To spread knowledge about health policies and their consequences, employ a variety of multimedia platforms,
such as community health workers, radio, and television.
COLLABORATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS
 To increase the effectiveness and reach of health policy communication initiatives,
cultivate partnerships with foreign partners, advocacy groups, and non-governmental
organizations.
GOVERNMENT CITIZEN INTERACTION
 Encourage open dialogue between individuals and government representatives to resolve
issues and clarify health policy.
 Provide hotlines or helplines where people may call to get information or to share their
experiences with health care.
OTHER POLICIES IN UGANDA
National medicines Policy 2015
National Alcohol Control Policy 2019`
Uganda police health policy 2021
HEALTH POLICY GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
★ The key oversight functions of the health sector will be managed through the Minister and the

Ministers of State. Duties of these have been defined by Government.

★ The Permanent Secretary coordinates resources for effective management of Health Funds.
The work of the Permanent Secretary will be supported through the following units:

a) Administration,

b) Internal Audit,

c) Finance and Accounting,

d) Procurement.
HEALTH POLICY GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
★ The key oversight functions of the health sector will be managed through the Minister and the

Ministers of State. Duties of these have been defined by Government.

★ The Permanent Secretary coordinates resources for effective management of Health Funds.
The work of the Permanent Secretary will be supported through the following units:

a) Administration,

b) Internal Audit,

c) Finance and Accounting,

d) Procurement.