Uganda is an awfully grand refugee-hosting country in Africa and the fifth largest in the arena. Over the decades, Uganda has hosted refugees from international locations including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Burundi, and Rwanda. As of thirty first August 2024, there had been 1,7400 000 refugees in Uganda basically situated within refugee settlements in northern and southwestern Uganda and Kampala City.
Kampala, Geneva, Brazzaville – A brand original legend on “Refugee and Migrant Health System Review: Challenges and Opportunities for Long-term Health System Strengthening in Uganda” calls for a holistic formula to fortifying Uganda’s health system. The legend underscores the importance of enhancing health worker capacities, improving access to an crucial clinical sources, and fostering stronger stakeholders’ coordination. Together, these efforts unbiased to regain a more resilient and inclusive health system that serves refugees, migrants, and host communities, while laying the foundation for lengthy-term sustainability.
The legend is a end result of collaborative efforts between Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MoH) and World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the United Countries High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The legend originate used to be officiated by the Ugandan Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng along with the WHO Director of Health and Migration, Dr. Santino Severoni, the IOM Chief of Mission, Mr. Sanusi Tejan Savage, and the UNHCR Assistant Representative in Uganda, Mr Benson Ochiel Ngiela.
The hybrid tournament which took enviornment in Kampala and online brought collectively key gamers from the Ugandan government, United Countries Businesses, donors, and varied companions to talk about the legend’s findings. The tournament furthermore highlighted the collaborative efforts of UN businesses to reinforce the provision of health services for refugees, migrants, and host communities in Uganda, to catalyze extra action and helpful resource mobilization.
While hosting the originate tournament, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng explained that “to manufacture distinct Uganda has a convincing health system ready to meet the wants of its entire inhabitants, it could per chance per chance per chance be an crucial to extra reinforce existing policies and techniques that grant migrants equitable access to health services”.
In March 2024, WHO, along with MoH, and UNHCR performed a joint review mission to give a entire overview of the health system’s response to refugees. The unbiased used to be to understand service offer challenges and name opportunities to extra strengthen Uganda in strengthening its health system skill and ensuring continued access to health services for refugees, migrants, and host communities.
Key findings from the legend indicate that Uganda’s government helps refugees thru policies promoting freedom of lunge, integration, and access to social services, employment, and land. Refugees and asylum seekers furthermore receive a entire health package deal including emergency care, psychological first attend and continuous access to main health care services once settled.
Even though the legend commended the integration of folks forced to soar into national services, key challenges acknowledged include recurrent stock out of an crucial medicines and provides, cultural and language obstacles among refugees and the healthcare team, and restricted sources to recruit and manage the wished health workforce in health facilities.
The legend highlights key steps to reinforce Uganda’s healthcare system by integrating refugees and addressing the bid wants of both migrants and host communities. WHO’s Director of Health and Migration, Dr. Santino Severoni, acknowledged, “Uganda’s management in integrating refugees and migrants into the health system is a mannequin of solidarity in action, ensuring access to an crucial health services for all.”
For the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Moeti Matshidiso, “Countries might per chance per chance believe to silent utilize the skill of migrants and refugees to make contributions to the job force of service offer, using their competencies and skills.”
Further concerns from the legend include Identifying and implementing original funding techniques and creating a entire health insurance system; Incorporating venerable healers into health systems and strengthening intersectoral collaboration with varied ministries to accommodate broader health determinants, among others.
Efforts to fortify the health system and act on the mapped action items are already underway. In March 2024, UNHCR and WHO signed a Letter of Understanding to reinforce their collaboration in supporting Uganda’s government to reinforce health services to migrants, refugees, and host communities in the country.
“This partnership targets to reinforce the rights and health of folks forced to soar while supporting Uganda’s efforts to fabricate the 2030 Sustainable Building Targets,” explained Mr Benson Ochiel Ngiela, the UNHCR Assistant Representative in Uganda.
Uganda’s dedication to hosting hundreds of thousands fleeing warfare and hardship, and its efforts in integrating and protecting refugees and migrants are unprecedented. Uganda’s inaugurate-door policy and Total Refugee Response Framework are exemplary models for providing security, dignity, and hope.
