Interview: Uganda Healthcare Federation (UHF)
Uganda Healthcare Federation (UHF) have been redefining and consolidating the country’s private healthcare sector since 2010. Through the understanding that improving Uganda’s healthcare is a collective endeavour, their unifying vision demonstrates that
We find that dialogue amongst all categories and stakeholders fosters creative solutions to several mutual and at times persistent challenges,” comments Grace Ssali Kiwanuka, Executive Director at the Uganda Healthcare Federation (UHF).
UHF was born from a need to consolidate and unify PHPs (private health providers) and healthcare professionals across Uganda.
An affiliate of the East Africa Healthcare Federation and now a key contributor to the Ministry of Health, particularly concerning public-private partnerships, the federation was established as the representative umbrella body for Uganda’s private healthcare sector in 2010.
The body’s aim remains to this day, to improve quality healthcare within the private sector across Uganda, with an emphasis on affordability and accessibility.
Ms. Kiwanuka found her way into the sector after working across the globe for prestigious organisations including Saatchi and Saatchi, and skincare brand Olay.
“I stepped into the Uganda private health sector as the Customer Care Manager at a health insurance company charged with membership retention and growth,” she tells us.
It was this invaluable experience that introduced Kiwanuka to the challenges of the “fast-paced” private sector, equipping her with the necessary skills to eventually excel at UHF.
“It was interesting work trying to understand the challenges of private healthcare, struggling with the bottom line, challenges around patient needs… examining clinical shortcomings and addressing technical issues,” Kiwanuka comments.
Transitioning into consulting work after a decade at leading medical service provider AAR Healthcare gave Kiwanuka the opportunity to direct her efforts where they were most needed.
“I enjoyed the freedom of selecting challenging projects that required a deep understanding of the intricacies of the functioning of the private sector,” she comments.
Subsequently, Kiwanuka was invited to join the board at UHF by then Director, Dr. Ian Clarke. After initially accepting a role as interim Executive Director, she has stayed there ever since.
UHF now advocates for increased capacity within the sector and champions the interests of private healthcare on international forums and as a member of wider organisations, such as EAHF and sister federations in neighbouring countries including Tanzania, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda.
The Federation’s remit is wide and an impressive roster of organisations benefit from representation and advocacy under their patronage.
“UHF has a membership of over 59 health-related associations and organisations representing different types of private health facilities, a full range of health professionals delivering private healthcare, social franchises, private medical training institutions, private pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and retail pharmacies. UHF membership also includes civil society partners such as organisations representing community health mobilisers and health consumer advocacy,” she explains.
Kiwanuka goes on to outline the Federation’s crucial role, particularly in bridging the gap in communication between the public and private components of the sector.
“UHF’s core activities focus on building private sector capacity to offer affordable, accessible and quality healthcare services; coordinating private sector groups activities around key health
interventions; consolidating and representing private sector interest in health policy and planning; lobbying and advocating for policy change that benefit their members and facilitating public-private dialogue on key policy issues.”
Today, the Ugandan Government increasingly recognises the role of the private sector in national development and poverty eradication through the implementation of various national policies, such as the National Health Policy and the National PublicPrivate Partnerships in Health (PPPH) Policy.
The conflation between public and private can be an additional source of complication for the sector.
“There is always an assumption that works in public facilities will simply be replicated in private facilities, yet the structures and operations are quite often very different,” she comments.
Cohesion is key – fragmentation within the sector as a whole can represent a serious impediment to development and undermine collective efforts towards the general advancement of Uganda’s healthcare.
The potential for increased capacity is evidenced by the progress of the private sector in recent years as it has enjoyed exponential growth and become an exciting, dynamic field to work in - as Ms. Kiwanuka confirms.
“The rate of growth in the private sector is at over 400 percent in the last 15 years – this is not just a reflection of the breadth of investment going into health, but this growth also considers developments in the ICT, pharmaceutical and manufacturing subsectors that are outstripping the trends in our human resources in health growth.”
As one of the hundreds of non-governmental organisations within the sector, UHF’s unique, unifying vision sets them apart.
“No other body has a sole focus on bringing the private sector together. There is also no other entity with a focus on lobbying and advocating in the interests of the private sector with all activities, programmes and initiatives solely targeting building capacity in the private health sector, creating networking opportunities and exploring areas for collaboration and convergence especially with the not-for-profit sub sector,” she adds.
By establishing a network united by one body,
UHF overcomes geographical complications and casts its net wide.
“While UHF is based in Kampala, we reach the rest of the districts across the country through our members, therefore we are able to implement activities with minimal operational cost pressures and can promise longevity beyond programme life because we use existing teams and structures,” Kiwanuka informs us.
Another way in which the federation tackles the three major problems facing the sector; namely medical access, underfunding and a lack of resources, is to procure financial support.
“Access to affordable financing has hampered the development and growth of Uganda’s private health sector. UHF has been engaging development partners and with support of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, the federation is in the early stages of establishing a revolving fund to pilot availing micro-loans to private health businesses. The loans will be for equipment or facility improvements guided by a quality improvement plan.
We believe that with financial support the Uganda private health sector not only improve quality but to expand the scale and scope of services available through the private sector.”