I cleared sh8.5 trillion Uganda-US health deal — AG Kiryowa

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Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka has defended the $2.3 billion (sh8.56 trillion) bilateral health cooperation agreement that the Government of Uganda and that of the US signed in December last year.

The five-year deal outlines a comprehensive vision to save lives, strengthen Uganda’s health system, and make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

“What I can assure members here [is] that no one’s data can be used or shared, which is not in consonance with the laws of Uganda. So indeed, the Data Protection Act is still in place,” Kiryowa told the plenary session of Parliament, chaired by Speaker Anita Among on Wednesday (April 1).

This was after some legislators raised concern about the deal.

“I also see people debating these things without actually getting an opportunity to read them. So, I encourage the committee [of health] to look at them. We did make it very clear that if you want to use the data of Ugandans, it must be used in accordance with the law,” Kiryowa said.

“That agreement is available; I am sure the necessary committee can request the minister of health to make it available to them to look at, but yes, there is a contract, and I cleared it. I looked at it myself, and I’m absolutely certain that it is in accordance with the laws of Uganda."

What the deal says

According to the US embassy in Kampala, the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) advances the US–Uganda bilateral relationship and supports Uganda to develop a resilient health system that prevents the spread of emerging and existing infectious diseases globally.

It says under the MOU, the US plans to support priority health programmes, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, polio eradication, global health security, human resources, disease surveillance, and emergency preparedness.

Over the five-year period, the US government plans to provide up to $1.7 billion (sh6.33 trillion) of support, and the Ugandan government pledges to increase domestic health expenditures by more than $500m (sh1.86 trillion) to gradually assume greater financial responsibility over the course of the framework.

The agreement includes support for faith-based healthcare providers in Uganda.