Cabinet sitting on Monday at State House Entebbe has approved the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill, 2019.
According to Dr. Sarah Byakika the Assistant Commissioner Quality Assurance at the ministry of health told the press at Uganda media Centra this morning that the Objectives of the Bill are;
To facilitate the provision of accessible, affordable acceptable and quality healthcare services to citizens irrespective of their age, economic, health and social status; to develop health insurance as a complementary mechanism of healthcare financing and ensure efficiency in healthcare services; to ensure that residents have access to quality healthcare services which is equitable and affordable; to regulate the cost of healthcare services for the beneficiaries and ensure equitable distribution of costs among the different income groups; and to maintain high standard of healthcare delivery services under the scheme.
Other objectives are; to improve and harness private sector participation in the provision of healthcare services. The scheme will be implemented in an integrated approach through social, private community-based health insurance schemes; to mobilize funds to subsidize the cost of provision of healthcare services to the population and the indigents in particular; and to promote social protection by protecting households from catastrophic health expenditures (impoverishing payments incurred when they access health services).
Dr. Byakika also explained that it is mandatory for all Ugandans to be registered for the scheme, but that only those of 18 years and above, are liable to payment.
She added that employers will deduct a given amount of money from salaries of employees towards the contribution to the scheme. Also, Ugandans who are self employed will also be asked to pay a certain amount of money in relation to their monthly earnings.
