NEWS: Cost of Health Care Going Up

from the DAILY MONITOR ONLINE

Cost of health care going up - expert

More than 60 per cent of Ugandans live under the poverty line, defined as subsisting on one dollar a day, and most of these people stay in high-density areas surrounded by poor drainage systems and health facilities.

Should they be unfortunate to be diagnosed with any illness, the cost of medication is prohibitive and they often opt not to buy the medicine but to plough through life and hope for the best.
According to Lucas Greyling, Managing Director of Microcare, a health insurance management firm, medicine costs are going up due to increasing transport costs, higher US dollar prices and imported inflation.

“This is an important area in which more support for locally manufactured medicines can play a big part in reducing the cost of medical treatment,” Greyling told Daily Monitor in a recent interview.

The current national planning for the distribution of health care facilities is based on the income per capita of the people.

Mulago, the national referral hospital, is by far the largest hospital in the country, with equipment, rooms, beds and facilities that can cater for over 20,000 people at any given time. However, the district or division hospitals can only cater for a smaller number of people and health conditions.

“If Uganda’s recent economic growth can be maintained, these difficulties will be overcome by supply and demand. It must also be said that a great deal of rebuilding has had to be done to facilitate the more recent successes in key areas such as HIV/Aids, good economic growth and a manageable rate of inflation,” says Greyling.”

Through a number of saving schemes and organisations, individuals are able to access quality health care in case of emergencies such as heart surgery, kidney transplant amongst others. This however, does not address the issue for every day health care which involves the prevention as well as curative measures.

“It is a good place to be, to know that if you have a toothache, you can quickly make an appointment or go to the nearest hospital for check up and treatment,” comments Dr Kwizera a private medical specialist.

“Health insurance is quickly becoming a must for individuals and corporations. Very soon, hospitals and doctors will be asking for your insurance card, as this will give them the peace of mind that the bills will be taken care of and they can take action without insisting that the patient fill numerous documents before treatment. This way, we are able to abide to our Hippocratic Oath without being accused of making the hospital lose money,” he adds.

“The concept of health insurance is new to most Ugandans and insurance firms like Microcare carry out sensitisation about the insurance coverage offered: list of hospitals, the level of referrals, cover inclusions, exclusions and ceiling limits,” Greyling said.

In line with MDG 2010, Uganda’s health care sector is mapped to grow proportionally nationwide, providing better quality health care for all and at an affordable cost.