Older persons to get medical insurance — minister Mbabazi
“Older people need insurance because of the non-communicable diseases that affect them as they grow older,”Mbabazi stressed.
Currently, in Uganda, most insurance companies do not offer medical insurance cover beyond 60 years because of the increased risk of chronic illnesses associated with older persons. (File photo)
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The Government is to introduce a medical insurance policy for older persons, especially those in rural areas, Jacqueline Mbabazi, the Minister of State for Gender in charge of Older Person Affairs, has revealed.
“Older people need insurance because of the non-communicable diseases that affect them as they grow older,” she stressed, adding that as people grow older, some of their relatives abandon them in villages and go to urban areas in search of economic opportunities.
The minister made the revelation during the Meeting for the Dissolution of the second National Council of the Older Persons at Skyz Hotel in Naguru, Kampala on July 8, 2026.
“You find old people in their homes without children. The children and grandchildren go to urban centres or abroad to look for jobs. You find an older woman or man alone in a home, but if they have medical insurance, maybe the neighbour will be able to take this older person to hospital. But the neighbour would not help if there is no money to pay the bill,” Mbabazi said.
However, as the ageing population in Uganda increases, Uganda Insurance Regulatory Authority, the body that is mandated to regulate all insurance activities in Uganda, has been actively advocating for products tailored for the elderly.
The minister noted that there would be an engagement with stakeholders regarding the policy framework for the insurance programme for older persons.
“There is a need to see to it that round-table discussions are held with the Ministry of Health and other insurance stakeholders to develop medical insurance products that are friendly to older persons,” she noted.
Prosper Muhumuza Byonanebye, the Commissioner for Disability and the Elderly in the Ministry of Gender, who is also the direct supervisor of the council for the elderly, said the medical insurance programme for senior citizens will be rolled out in collaboration with non-state actors and religious-based healthcare providers.
Byonanebye said through advocacy, the ministry has been able to attract insurance companies with packages that target the elderly.
The commissioner suggested that sh10,000 could be deducted from the Social Assistance Grant Empowerment (SAGE) to cater for each elderly person's medical insurance policy.
The SAGE fund is a grant that the Government extends to older persons above 80 years. This fund stands at 25,000 per senior citizen per month and is paid in lump sums of sh75,000 after every three months.
However, starting this financial year, the Government announced that the age of beneficiaries would be lowered to 65 years, while the amount paid to each beneficiary per month would be increased to sh35,000.
Byonanebye said as the Government plans to have medical insurance for everyone, the ministry will engage relevant stakeholders to pilot medical insurance among older persons.
The meeting also saw the presentation of a report and recommendations of the national council of older persons' achievements from 2021-2026 by the chairperson of the council, Charles Mughayira Isabirye.
In the report, Isabirye presented to the minister different issues that bedevil the council, such as lack of quorum on the council, inadequate funding, delay of the Older Persons' Bill and other legal gaps that have gone unattended for years yet they remain critical to the council.