Time to embrace health insurance

Aug 04, 2009

<b>Letter of the day</b><br><br>EDITOR—On July 17, the New Vision published a letter by Saul Karamagi where he expressed disgust, anxiety and concern over the manner in which his child was treated at the Ntinda Medical Centre on June 28.

Letter of the day

EDITOR—On July 17, the New Vision published a letter by Saul Karamagi where he expressed disgust, anxiety and concern over the manner in which his child was treated at the Ntinda Medical Centre on June 28.

He pointed out his inability to meet the bill for the treatment of his daughter at a very critical time when the girl had severe malaria. Malaria kills and kills mainly children and pregnant women. The pain Karamagi suffered to procure funds to pay the medical bill and how he was treated is enough cause to revisit the Social Health Insurance (SHI) issue. The same case possibly goes for Tom Jjulunga prior to his death at Rubaga Hospital, a couple of weeks ago. In order not to appear indifferent to such trying moments of Karamagi and the late Jjulunga, I am compelled to react to people like Dr. Ian Clarke and other people who think that SHI in Uganda is not feasible and perhaps of no value to the wananchi. Like the state minister for health, Dr. Richard Nduhura, put it in his article recently, SHI saves life, time and improves productivity, among other benefits.

If it is true that Karamagi and perhaps many others have undergone this type of experience or even worse, especially at a time when we cannot meet medical bills at critical moments, then the time for Ugandans to embrace NHI is now.

If Karamagi’s child had been insured under the NHI, he would not have experienced the processes he underwent prior to having treatment. The Ntinda Medical Centre would have been assured of their pay from the NHI and therefore acted promptly and professionally. What befell karamagi and his daughter can befall any of us if not all of us, especially with the increasing, unabated traffic accidents on our roads or any other cause of a medical emergency. However much care you may take while driving or walking, Lacor hospital on your way to Gulu, Kitovu on your way to Mbarara, Mengo hospital in Kampala or even Dr. Ian Clarke who is not in favour of the scheme, may not touch you for no penny! The only rescue is your insurance.

So what is National/Social Health Insurance scheme?

NHI scheme is a form of healthcare financing where specific population groups are required to pay a small monthly contribution to the scheme and in turn be entitled to healthcare whenever they fall sick or any member of their family, without having to pay directly at the time of indisposition. While some circles have critiqued cost- sharing as impoverishing the wananchi, such systems still exist as insurance at local community levels in the old Kigezi region, in form of Engozi societies. This implies that people are partly responsible for their only irreplaceable gift on earth—life. In view of the free UPE, USE and abolition of graduated tax, there is need to consider buying in the NHI and demand for better health services than keep whining that there are no drugs in Government hospitals or that missionary hospitals should walk the talk Jesus used, to heal patients free of charge.

Dr Myers Lugemwa
Kampala

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