THE establishment of the Social Health Insurance Scheme this financial year is a top priority for President Yoweri Museveni, the State Minister for Primary Health Care, Dr Emmanuel Otaala , has said.

"It is a key item in the President's election manifesto," Otaala said.

"It is therefore a number one commitment that the NRM government is supposed to implement."

Otaala was yesterday opening a retreat for a team which is laying the groundwork for the implementation of the scheme by July next year.

The two-day retreat is taking place at Ridar Hotel in Seeta.

Dr Dick Jonsson from the World Health Organisation briefed the participants on the global experience with social health insurance.

Representatives from the Tanzanian National Health Insurance Fund presented a paper detailing their experience since the fund started six years ago.

In Uganda, the scheme will receive regular and equal contributions from employers and employees, which would be pooled for the provision of high quality health care to members and their families.

Under the scheme, a member will simply go to a health services provider registered with the scheme (public and private) and gets medical treatment.

Otaala said Uganda would learn from the experiences of her regional counterparts, adding that the government was expecting the ministry officials and the other concerned parties to handle the issue as a "priority item."

The Commissioner for Planning in the Ministry of Health, Dr Francis Runumi, said the retreat was intended to make final preparations for the implementation of the scheme.

The Minister of State for General Duties, Dr Richard Nduhura, attended.

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By Peter Nyanzi
Kampala

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