Research/academic paper

Universal Health Coverage in Uganda: The Critical Health Infrastructure, Healthcare coverage and equity

This study aims to analyse the status of the critical health infrastructure which is needed to attain sustained progress towards UHC, and to review Uganda’s progress towards UHC. Some of the recent studies that have assessed UHC in Uganda have primarily focused on the financial risk protection aspect of UHC, but did not comprehensively analyse coverage including health system delivery or intervention areas. The current study examines coverage based on healthcare intervention areas, – with a focus on Reproductive, Maternal, and Child (RMC) healthcare. Also, we conduct the first kind of analysis on UHC in Uganda based on CCI approach that considers intervention areas, thus a novel contribution to the literature. Broadly speaking, this study contributes to efforts aimed at measuring progress towards UHC. Monitoring UHC progress plays a critical role in achieving global goals such as the MDGs and those outlined in the post-2015 development agenda (WHO & World Bank; 2013). Additionally, the study contributes to the policy discourse pertaining to Uganda’s acceleration in movement towards UHC, as emphasized in both the Health Sector and National Development Plans. The study thus seeks to answer key questions such as: what is the state of the critical health infrastructure necessary for delivering UHC in Uganda? To what extent has Uganda registered progress towards UHC, particularly in the areas of RMC healthcare? What are the constraints to the delivery of UHC? Finally, how can Uganda accelerate progress towards UHC?