Uganda urged to invest in health

October 21, 2016 in Business, Finance, Investment, Policy by Editor

Kampala October 21-Uganda needs to prioritise the health of its population if it is to see productivity gains in the coming years says Jotham Musinguzi the Director General of the National Population Secretariat.

Speaking during the launch of the World Population Reports and State of Uganda Report, Musinguzi said this year’s theme “Quality care Key for sustainable development” wasrelevant to Uganda because a healthy population enhances productivity.

“The theme is very pertinent to our target of becoming middle income by 2040. Health is central to our development. A healthy population is needed to develop an economy in terms of productivity and we need a healthy economy to maintain a healthy population,” David Bahati State Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development who launched the reports said.

Although Uganda instituted a number of interventions aimed at improving healthcare including increasing the health budgets over time, it is still less than the 15 percent allocation that was agreed by African countries under the Abuja declaration.

Anthony Mbonye Director General Health Services at the Ministry of health says there is need to do more.

“Although there has been improvement in public expenditure by the government, it does not match the population which currently stands at 36.4 million. There is need to match funding to the ever growing population, if the country wants to achieve at all fronts,” Mbonye says.