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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Luweero district could soon be enrolled on the community health insurance scheme.
According to Fredrick Makaire, the Executive Director Save for Health Uganda, a local NGO that is promoting community health insurance schemes in various districts across the country, the solicitor general has written to them guiding them on how to classify individuals and how much in premium that they will be paying.
Though the Solicitor General has not yet approved this ordinance which was passed by the district council in 2017 requiring everyone in the district to have a form of health insurance, Makaire says this feedback is an indicator that their request is being considered.
Already, he said they are having discussions to ensure that when it finally comes into force next year, they are not challenged with implementation.
He says that while the draft ordinance puts a penalty of a jail term of six months or penalty of shillings 400,000 for those found guilty of benefiting from the scheme using false declarations or statements, Makaire says they are considering using the approach of incentives for users.
According to the draft ordinance, households are set to contribute premiums to the scheme basing on their levels of income fees ranging between 80,000 and Shs 500,000 annually. Also, they are proposing that students from other areas studying in the district be required to contribute to the scheme through their schools.
Luweero is popular for being a district with the highest number of people subscribed on community health insurance whereby about 30,000 of the 40,000 total subscribers around the country come from the area and are subscribed under the local ‘Munno Mu kabi’ scheme where subscribers according to Makaire make annual contributions to the lows of Shs20,000.
However, even as community health insurance is currently being promoted, the future of the schemes is uncertain since the National Health Insurance Bill currently in parliament doesn’t recognize community health insurance even as Makaire says schemes have been in place since 1996.
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