The Ministry of Health has recorded an improvement in the delivery of medicines and medical supplies to the end user—the health centers.
At the opening of the 2011 National Health Assembly on Monday, Health Minister Dr. Christine Ondoa said that this improvement has gone up to 70 percent in some areas.
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In the new supply chain, National Medical Stores holds the entire budget for procurement of medicines and medical supplies, and health units submit their requisitions to the institution.
The old medicines supply chain system only made it possible for National Medical Stores to deliver drugs to districts, but under the new system, health units receive the supplies directly.
Ondoa says that the health units are encouraged to return to NMS any medicines they may not need, though each unit receives the standard essential drugs package according to the ministry’s regulations.
Dr. John Joa Oketch, the Chairman of District Health Officers’ Association says that the availability of medicines at National Medical Stores, and the process of delivering medicines to the health units have improved.
He adds however that the users do not always get as much as they need.
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Uganda’s health budget, which is about 9 percent of the national budget, still falls way below the Abuja Declaration recommendation of at least15 percent.
