UNHCO starts distributing Mama Kits
UNHCO has started distributing Mama Kits in the districts of Luweero, kamuli and Lyantonde. So far 160 Mama Kits have been distributed in the district of Luweero. The beneficiaries are mothers who deliver from public health facilities. The facilities that have benefitted from the exercise include: Kalagala HCIV, Nyimbwa HCIV, Kikoma HCIV, and Zirobwe HCIII. The exercise will continue and roll-out in the other two districts of Kamuli and Lyantonde. Supported By:
Building a Citizen Anti-Corruption Movement In Uganda
Download Communique by Clicking this Link: [download id="13"] Over the last decade, government has formulated a wide range of policies, action plans, enacted new laws and established new institutions to lead its anti-corruption efforts. However, these efforts have yielded substandard results and the recent developments raise doubts about the willingness of government to effectively address corruption. High profile corruption cases such as the Temangalo Scandal, the Global Fund Scandal, and the CHOGM scandal clearly show that we are losing the race against corruption. World Bank estimates show that Uganda loses an estimate of $300 million (Ugx 500 billion) annually to corruption. Likewise, the 2011 Transparency International Perception Index gives Uganda a decimal score of 2.4 on scale of ...
Human Rights Day and Health Rights Day
Human Rights Day - Sat 10th/12/2011 Human Rights Day on 10 December recognizes the work of human rights defenders worldwide who act to end discrimination. Acting alone or in groups within their communities, every day human rights defenders work to end discrimination by campaigning for equitable and effective laws, reporting and investigating human rights violations and supporting victims. While some human rights defenders are internationally renowned, many remain anonymous and undertake their work often at great personal risk to themselves and their families. Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When the General Assembly adopted ...
END PREVENTABLE MATERNAL DEATHS IN UGANDA – A CALL FOR ACTION BY CIVIL SOCIETY
September 27, 2011 PRESS STATEMENT END PREVENTABLE MATERNAL DEATHS IN UGANDA – A CALL FOR ACTION BY CIVIL SOCIETY This is a day before the Uganda Constitutional Court proceeds with a landmark court case on maternal deaths - Petition Number 16 of 2011, in which Civil Society Organizations working in the health sector have petitioned the constitutional court to declare that the avoidable deaths of women in the process of childbirth constitutes abuse of their right to health. The petition further argues that by not providing essential medical commodities and health services to pregnant women, the government is violating the constitutional rights of Ugandans. Pregnancy and childbirth should be a cause ...
Compensate Maternal Death Victims
Press Release on Maternal Health Petition Kampala, Thursday, 07/04/2011 – a Media Briefing of civil society organizations organized by the Uganda National Health Consumers’ Organization (UNHCO) has come up to speak against the unacceptable higher maternal deaths in Uganda. CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS include; - Non provision of the basic minimum maternal health care package due to continuous underfunding of the health sector, resulting in lack of emergency obstetric care, mal-functional infrastructure including absence of ambulance and referral services, inadequate human resources for maternal health, and poor or no supervision. The situation has been compounded by poor attitude of health workers. This situation has lead to death of especially vulnerable poor women who constitute the bigger percentage of the population and are bread winners ...
Maternal Health: the Legal Framework for Uganda
The importance of good health to a woman's well-being - and that of her family - cannot be overstated. Without healthy mothers, we cannot have healthy children. Without safe motherhood, women cannot fully exercise their fundamental human rights, such as those relating to education and employment. Although Uganda has a policy framework on maternal and child health, the national legal framework does not explicitly address the issue of maternal health. However, article 33(3) of the 1995 Constitution recognizes the need to protect the maternal functions of women including reproduction. It states that: “The State shall protect women and their rights, taking into account their unique status and natural maternal functions in society.” This provision recognizes that women have rights that arise ...
PATIENTS STRIKE AT MULAGO HOSPITAL
UNHCO has been following the events that happened over the last 4 days in Mulago Referral hospital. Patients admitted to Mulago Hospital with spinal injuries early this week went on the strike abandoning their ward, demonstrating against lack of medical attention. The patients mainly accident victims, decided to move out of their ward into the corridors of the hospital bringing most of the activities at the hospital to a standstill. UNHCO had discussions with Mulago hospital management and some patients. UNHCO staff visited the hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday to understand the issues and work on the way forward with the hospital management and the following are the findings; Even with the challenges the hospital and the country overall is ...
Service Delivery Still Lacking
UNHCO, supported by 9th EDF SDP, recently conducted a survey to establish citizens’ opinions and satisfaction with local government services and local administration in the districts of Nebbi, Oyam, Pallisa, Isingiro, Masaka, Nakapiripirit and Kasese. The focus was on the health, education and water sectors. Below is a brief narration of some of the observations during the survey. Health: Put aside the well known national issues of shortage of medicines and staff which were prevalent in the seven districts, water shortages at health centres is appalling. Where a rain-water harvesting tank is found there are high chances of it being dry. One wonders how the health centres are supposed to preach hygiene when they do not have ...
Voices for Health Rights
Voices for Health Rights (VHR) is a coalition of 14 civil society organisations working in health and health rights related activities initiated in 2006 as a united front to advocate for good health policies and implementation of best practices. VHR’s goal is “to bring together Civil Society Organisations for the promotion of the right to health in Uganda”. The coalition’s vision is a society whose health policies and practices reflect the Rights Based Approach. The constituent members of VHR are: Action Group for Health, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS (AGHA) Basic Needs Basic Rights – Uganda, (BNU) Effort Integrated Development Foundation (EINTEDEF), Epilepsy Support Association Uganda (ESAU), Health Rights Action Group (HAG), Joyce Fertility Support Centre, (JFSC) Mental Health Uganda (MHU), National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NACWOLA), National Care Centre ...
Press Conference on Increasing Reproductive Health Supplies
[caption id="attachment_198" align="aligncenter" width="448" caption="The National Coordinator - UNHCO, Ms. Robinah Kaitiritimba addressing the press. Partner civil society organisations were also present at the press conference."][/caption] UNHCO held a press conference on 10th August 2010 at the Secretariat to highlight the challenges in accessing reproductive health supplies and put forward suggestions to improve the situation. Below is an extract of the press statement. SPECIFIC CHALLENGES: Despite the good and well intentioned policies and guidelines, political commitment and support for achieving set goals of the several policies cited earlier have been weak. Inadequate translation of national policy ...