Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao has vowed to push the government to roll out a comprehensive national health insurance scheme to help millions of Ugandans struggling to pay medical bills at health facilities across the country.
Mr Mao made the statement while speaking as chief guest at the opening of the 6th ITC International Insurance Conference in Gulu City on Thursday. The conference was hosted by the Insurance Training College of Uganda.
According to him, many Ugandans cannot afford proper medical treatment because of poverty, and a government-backed health insurance scheme is the solution.
His remarks followed concerns raised by insurance sector players, who decried low insurance coverage and bureaucratic processes in processing bills.
‘I have promised to mobilise my colleagues, like the Minister of Health and other relevant officials (ministries), so that we can agree and set a timetable. Ghana has done it; Uganda can do it also,’ Mr Mao told the gathering.
He said not every Ugandan belonged to the insurance sector, adding that a government-backed scheme would enable citizens to access healthcare without shouldering the full cost of treatment.
‘So we need a government-backed scheme, so that any citizen can go to hospital and there is a limit, so that if the hospital requires you to pay Shs300,000, for instance here, I think a private place like C-Care (in Gulu City), they charge Shs60,000 per night, if you are admitted,’ he said.
The justice minister also pledged to address bureaucratic hurdles and delays insurers face in processing bills and agreements through government structures.
‘That two-week commitment is still alive and well; I think they are telling me politely to enforce it. So I promise to enforce the two-week rule,’ Mr Mao added.
At the conference, which brought together more than 200 insurance companies, sector players cited government delays in processing applications and agreements, affordability challenges and a severe lack of public awareness as factors hindering the sector’s growth.
Although the sector has accumulated premiums exceeding Shs2 trillion, Mr Saul Sseremba, the chief executive officer and principal of the Insurance Training College of Uganda, said insurance coverage remained as low as 1 per cent, leaving many Ugandans uninsured.
Mr Sseremba also urged the government to expedite sector reforms to ensure effective regulation.
‘We’ve asked the government to expedite the National Health Insurance Scheme because we believe that once it comes on board, then we have everyone insured. As the insurance sector, we have the capacity,’ Mr Sseremba said.
Ms Deborah Mwesigwa, the commercial business manager for Sanlam Allianz Insurance Ltd, said limited public awareness and affordability continued to discourage Ugandans from taking up insurance.
‘The other bit is the affordability that has made the majority of our population not appreciate the need for insurance,’ Ms Mwesigwa said, adding that the industry was developing cheaper products to address specific needs and make insurance more accessible to low-income earners.
According to the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), more than 90 per cent of Ugandans rely on direct out-of-pocket expenditure to pay their medical bills.
Dr Protazio Sande, the acting chief executive officer of the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda, said a universal healthcare coverage mechanism could ease the financial burden on the government and free up resources for other competing priorities.
‘We are advocating for universal health insurance coverage, so that every Ugandan can be assured at least of one of the basic needs,’ Dr Sande said.