Doreen Kansiime, the Policy Engagement and Communications Officer at Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPDARO), has reiterated the organization’s commitment to advocating for increased investment in Uganda’s health sector.
Speaking on the sidelines of the National Health Financing Dialogue, Kansiime emphasized the need for strategic resource allocation and efficient spending to achieve universal health coverage.
PPD ARO is an intergovernmental organization operating in 27 countries, including 15 across Africa. It focuses on policy advocacy informed by global, regional, and national development priorities.
At the global level, PPDARO supports the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while regionally, it promotes the Africa Leadership Meeting (ALM) commitments, which encourage African governments to mobilize domestic resources for health.
Today, they are implementing the Advance Domestic Health Financing (ADHF)Project in Uganda,Kenya, Malawi and Zambia in partnership with African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP).
The goal of the project is Increased and efficient use of domestic health financing with a focus on primary health care, and women’s and girls’ health.
In light of that , Kansiime noted that Uganda currently allocates only 8.7% of its national budget to health—well below the 15% target outlined in the Abuja Declaration.
“We are calling upon the government to increase health sector funding and implement reforms that address inefficiencies,” she said. “It’s not just about more money for health, but also more health for the money.”
Through partnerships with entities like the Ministry of Health and AUDA-NEPAD, PPD ARO aims at supporting policy reforms and enhancing domestic resource mobilization.
Kansiime praised the government’s recent commitment to adopt strategies developed during the dialogue, with support from the Prime Minister.
“As PPD ARO, we will continue working with stakeholders at national, regional, and global levels to ensure these strategies translate into real improvements in health outcomes,” Kansiime affirmed.
PPDARO and AFIDEP were co conveners of the dialogue with support (both financially and technically ) from the ADHF project to reinforce accountability and collective action in addressing Uganda’s health financing gaps.