Programs:

Health Financing Program

Through its Health Financing Program, AGHA has brought together various stakeholders to discuss and share ideas on the health sector budget allocation. In July 2006, AGHA organized a Health Economic Forum that brought together Ministries of Health, Finance and Economic Development, Social Services Committee of Parliament, Finance Committee of Parliament, health workers, and other stakeholders to discuss the possibility of increased health financing without macro economic problems in Uganda. It is after such debates that the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) realized the need to allocate an additional UGX 8 billion to health for the year 2007/2008—a major win for the right to health in Uganda.  

AGHA has also conducted research access to essential medicines in rural health centres in some of the country’s newest districts. AGHA just launched a report entitled “A Promise Unmet: Access to Essential Medicines in Rural Uganda.” In the report, AGHA articulates clearly the human rights mandate of the state in relation to what should be provided to citizens. A Promise Unmet evaluates Uganda’s obligation under numerous international, regional and national instruments to provide conditions that are necessary if the right to health is to be realized. At the launch of the report in September 2007, 13 Members of Parliament from various key committees pledged to work with AGHA to advocate for increased health funding and improved access to essential medicines in Uganda as a means of realizing the right to health. AGHA will continue to engage them both at constituency and national level.  

Current Activities (2007-2008):

In order to ensure that existing health sector resources are being used as effectively as possible, AGHA will continue to monitor and track the use of health sector funds through the following activities:   

1.Civil society mobilization and capacity building meetings:  AGHA will raise CSO awareness about the existing health sector donors, their commitments, calendars and possible entry points for CSO involvement. This will be achieved in quarterly meetings to ensure that CSOs are equipped with uniform skills and information surrounding health financing for a greater voice to demand accountability and transparency in the health sector. 

 2. Advocacy education and reporting on donor funds: AGHA will create a funds monitoring tool for CSOs and policy makers such as MPs to track donor funds and mechanisms. AGHA will hold two initial education and monitoring meetings, one with MP to educate them on health sector funding streams and work with them to establish monitoring parameters they can use in their official capacity, as well as one with CSOs (as described above) to help establish a monitoring tool they can use to create shadow reports for the Ugandan government and donors. With AGHA serving as a clearing house for monitoring and reporting on health sector accountability, reports can be compiled bi-annually and disseminated to both policy makers and the respective donors at a high level policy forum.  

3. Rapid response: While AGHA can create calendars with key donor and health sector funding dates, issues often emerge in the course of the year that we can not plan for, but for which a rapid civil society response is critical. To meet this need, AGHA will set up a rapid response program to take action on emerging health sector funding issues that may arise out of breaking policy decisions, donor visits and/or other relatively unpredictable but often urgent issues. Such responses may include a public debate, information production and dissemination, media outreach and more. AGHA will mobilize the members of the health and human rights coalition recently formed by AGHA and other partners –Voices for Health Rights (VHR) –to jointly respond to critical issues over the course of the year to both build civil society capacity and to keep government accountable by keeping close tabs on even the most unpredictable health sector funding issues.  

4. Media events:  AGHA will augment its media activities to raise public awareness and increase communication and feedback to the government and respective donors about health sector accountability. This will be realized through a press conference and 2 TV talk shows and letters to editors in response to critical emerging issues. AGHA will again engage a broad spectrum of civil society and policy makers in this media outreach, inviting CSOs, MPs and Ministry of Health and Finance officials to sit on TV show panels and radio talk shows to encourage dialogue, debate and transparency. Finally, AGHA will launch an organizational website with a special section on health budget accountability to improve information exchange nationally and internationally.