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While health indicators have improved over the last decade, they remain unsatisfactory and disparities exist throughout the country. Some of the major challenges are: the human resources shortage; poor infrastructure and unavailability of medicines; and the slowing progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS with new trends in incidence and a hostile political and social environment for certain at risk populations such as sexual minorities.
Civil society has an important role to play in the design of national health plans, as well as in monitoring implementation and performance. In Uganda there are useful mechanisms for broad participation. CSOs are active in advocacy to ensure that national plans are implemented properly, without compromising the rights of marginalized groups (including women, people with disabilities, ethnic and sexual minorities). This has included proposing appropriate laws and pointing out sections in proposed laws needing revision. CSOs are active in identifying and addressing barriers to the Right to Health and in some cases complementing government efforts in service delivery.
The role of civil society is strengthened through closer links with global networks such as PHM. Avenues of support include access to short course training through the International People’s Health University; access to global policy resources through Global Health Watch; closer links with the structures of global health governance through WHO Watch; richer links with CSOs in other countries through the people’s health assemblies; and participation in PHM’s Right to Health Campaign. Activities such as these enable health activists to gain a wider perspective on local issues and develop advocacy beyond the national towards regional and international.
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will deepen their understanding of the role of civil society in health development and in particular, the Ugandan experience 2. Public health practitioners will be more confident and expert in developing partnerships with civil society organisations in health development 3. Discuss the role of civil society in health development and illustrate the general propositions with instances from the Ugandan experience