Ex-VP Kazibwe blasts health ministry, calls for a revolution

"We are going to make Ugandans rebel and stop going to hospitals. Without a revolution, the health ministry is going to continue doing business as usual."

The tough talking and clearly disappointed former Vice President and current presidential advisor on health and population, Specioza Wandira Kazibwe was addressing an on-going symposium on community health financing at the Imperial Royale Hotel in the capital, Kampala.

"I am ashamed of being a doctor in this country. Health workers have turned into coffin makers."

Kazibwe who is a trained surgeon with a doctorate from Harvard University argued that 70% of the population no longer go to public health facilities. They have opted for private services.

Statistics however put the out-of pocket expenditure on health at 40%. This is way higher than the recommended 15% by the World Health Organisation.

According to Kazibwe, the Ministry has lost track of its core responsibilities which has made it rather inefficient in fulfilling the demands of the population.

"What is the health ministry doing running an ambulance service? That is transport and there is an entire ministry in charge of that. What the ministry should be doing is to regulate on what kind of ambulance system they want to have," she said. " What they call intervention themes are diseases. There is someone in charge of malaria, another in charge of HIV/AIDS and another for jiggers."

"I am ashamed of being called a medical doctor.  We have turned into coffin makers. Every unit at the ministry is on its own despite the fact that they have a well laid out strategic plan."

She castigated government for the increasing investment in constructing more hospitals and yet people continue to shun them.

Kazibwe argues that there are enough public health facilities. All we need is a public private partnership.  The doctors in public facilities have therefore followed the patients in the private sector.