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Uganda International Health Insurance / Healthcare System
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 The east
African Republic of Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa.
Although it is a landlocked country, much of its southern border
faces Lake Victoria. The former British colony achieved
independence in 1962; although it is now a democratic republic,
its best known post-colonial leader is the infamous despot Idi
Amin. Although the country lies on the equator, its climate is
quite varied consistent with its changes in altitude which reach
as high as 5110 metres at the top of Margherita Peak atop Mount
Stanley. Uganda possesses abundant natural resources, including
various minerals and more recently discovered oil reserves.
However, due to political instability, economic growth had been
halting, although recent reforms have seen GDP growth of 7 percent
in 2008 in spite of the global economic downturn. Still, Uganda
has been classified as a Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) by
the IMF and World Bank.
As in unfortunately typical for many HIPCs, life expectancy at
birth is very low for Ugandans; just 48 years for males and 57 for
females. Total annual health care expenditure per capita is
USD115, just a fraction of the already low African regional
average, and a figure which represents 8.2 percent of GDP.
Government expenditure makes up only about one fifth of total
health care spending in Uganda. About two thirds of private
expense comes from out of pocket spending, with private Uganda
health insurance making up only about 0.1 percent of total private
health spending. The remainder comes from charities, NGOs and
international organisations.
Ugandan health care centres are woefully understaffed. Due to lack
of training opportunities and brain drain, Uganda only has 1.2
physicians and 13.1 nurses and midwives per 10,000 people. The
number of trained physicians is only slightly more than half of
the low African average. The WHO’s Collaborating Centre for Injury
Prevention and Control is located at the Makerere University
Medical School in the capital city of Kampala.
Infectious disease is a serious concern. Like much of sub Saharan
Africa, HIV infection is far above the global average, in this
case eight times the world wide mean, with 65 cases per 1000
adults. However this represents a significant improvement from the
1990s when 30 percent of Ugandan adults were infected. Early
government measures to address the epidemic are credited with
slowing the spread of the deadly virus. Tuberculosis also affects
Ugandans above the global average, although at 278 cases per
100,000 population, its prevalence is about 40 percent lower than
the African regional average.
Ugandan utilisation of antenatal, birth and infant care is similar
to African averages, but still low by developed country norms.
Fewer than half of all births are attended by skilled health care
personnel. Serious inequities exist in access to health care, as
the figures for poor rural Ugandans are much lower than this.
Improved public health measures over the past two decades have
seen a steady increase in access to improved drinking water, now
available to about 90 percent of urban Ugandans. However, this
number drops to less than two thirds when accounting for the
entire (mostly rural) population. Improved sanitation facilities
are more slowly becoming available, but even today are only
available to less than half of all Ugandans.
Over the past couple of decades, Uganda has attracted
international attention as the host of several outbreaks of the
Ebola virus. The WHO Global Alert and Response (GAR) team has
issued a number of bulletins detailing various outbreaks, with the
last reported cases in 2008. Additionally, the GAR team has
reported outbreaks of Marburg haemorrhagic fever, meningitis and
cholera since 2000.
Uganda is also prone to natural disasters. A series of floods in
2010 led to massive property destruction, dislocation, loss of
life and reduced public health and sanitation. The WHO, the
Ugandan Ministry of Health and several charities and NGOs have
collaborated in recovery efforts.
Further health risks are related to Uganda’s political
instability. Various armed ethnic groups and militias and
government forces are involved in continuous skirmishes in Uganda
and its bordering states. In addition to the death, injury and
conflict caused by battles, the country also hosts close to
300,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan, but also from the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and Rwanda at camps with low levels of
public health and sanitation.
Despite the risks, Uganda boasts incredible natural beauty and can
be an attractive tourist destination. The US Centres for Disease
Control (CDC) have issued travel guidelines for prospective
visitors. Visiting a travel health clinic four to six weeks before
arrival to update routine vaccinations is recommended. Uganda
requires all visitors from countries with yellow fever to produce
proof of immunisation upon arrival. Jabs against typhoid, rabies,
polio and meningitis are all strongly suggested.
As with most tropical and equatorial regions, insect borne
diseases like malaria and dengue fever are prevalent. Prophylactic
measures include wearing long sleeved garments, using insect
repellent with DEET and sleeping under mosquito-proof bednets. In
the case of malaria, suggested anti-malarial pills include:
atovaquone, proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine. Choroquine is
ineffective against Ugandan strains of malaria and halofantrine
may have serious side effects and should only be used in
emergencies when no alternative is available. Furthermore, river
blindness, sleeping sickness, plague and schistosomiasis are all
common to the region.
The most common travellers’ health complaint in Uganda is the same
as anywhere in the world - gastrointestinal distress. Avoiding raw
and undercooked food and ice cubes, and drinking only bottled
water should minimize risk. Over the counter anti-diarrhoeal
medication should provide sufficient relief in acute cases;
patients suffering from persistent diarrhoea or vomiting should
see a physician.
Given the poverty of Uganda, it should be no surprise that health
care is very limited, even in urban areas. Guaranteeing the
highest level of care for you, your family or your tour group will
require that insurance arrangements are made in advance. Bear in
mind that in serious medical emergencies, expensive air evacuation
may be required to ensure adequate care.
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Uganda International Health Insurance |
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If you have planned an east African journey and Uganda is one of
your destinations, Globalsurance is available 24 hours per day to
provide in-depth consultations to assist with your international
travel health insurance needs. Globalsurance has a dedicated
roster of experienced teams around the world. Our experienced
advisors provide detailed options with policies for individual
travelers, families and tour groups large and small. Policies
cover a full range of medical services including: dental,
maternity, specialist consultation, transportation, inpatient
services and more. Please get in touch with a Globalsurance team
member today for further international medical insurance details.
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