Overcoming the pandemic

Of course, Uganda has not been spared by the omnipresent coronavirus and the pandemic has impacted the country’s healthcare services significantly. At the time of writing, Uganda has recorded 40,300 cases, resulting in 334 deaths.

“The pandemic has not been as disruptive for the federation as much as it has been for our members. It has actually been a time when we have found ourselves more relevant than ever before,” explains Kiwanuka.

This is when the benefits of a representative umbrella body become obvious, specifically its crucial role in safeguarding and advocating for the interests of its members.

“Our members are experiencing business closures due to lack of clients, increased costs in doing business to be compliant with infection prevention and control measures coupled with drops in revenue for periods longer than they can sustain,” she tells us.

UHF’s response to the pandemic has been proactive in ensuring the sector’s representation within the country’s strategic response.

“As the federation we have been lobbying the Ministry of Health for inclusion of the private sector

“The pandemic has not been as disruptive for the federation as much as it has been for our members. It has actually been a time when we have found ourselves more relevant than ever before”

in the national response, supporting members that have expressed interest in contributing to the national response to be heard and assisted.

We have also secured support from ThinkWell, IFC World Bank and AERC to build capacity to respond to the pandemic through knowledge sharing and information sessions as well as development, including a cascade of training and IEC materials tailored for the private sector,” Kiwanuka informs us.

Ensuring that their members are kept as wellinformed as possible is essential. The federation’s accessible approach encompasses not just rights to healthcare, but crucially also extends to education - arguably the most effective preliminary route to preventing and managing disease.