In Summary
Challenges in the health services notwithstanding, the NRM government over the past 20 years has achieved monumental landmarks in the health sector:
As we enter the 30th year of NRM governance of Uganda, one needs to reflect on the three decade uphill walk. To some of us who were mature enough and politically alert in 1986, when NRM took over power, we can sincerely congratulate President Museveni and his team for the visionary stewardship of Uganda for the past 29 years.
The Uganda we see today is incomparable to the Uganda before 1986 – in fact by January 1986, Uganda was a failed state.
The four years prior to 1986, Uganda underwent a total macro-economic failure, total ‘good governance eclipse’ and I can say without any qualification whatsoever – that there was no service delivery we could talk of: Education, health, judicial and all other kinds of public services were just limping – just for the sake of sounding diplomatic – and the private sector apart from ‘kibanda boys, black dollars’, ‘magendo’ and, of course, our resilient subsistence sector – had also totally collapsed.
So, when I hear the Opposition talking of the ‘wasted’ 30 years of NRM rule and collapse in the service delivery; I wonder whether they are sincere or just pandering on populism by turning the inevitable challenges we face as a country into cheap politicking.
In particular, the Opposition has directed their missives to provision of health services, and agreed: Yes, we have challenges in our health services, buts it’s also a fact that a lot has been done. Looking at our health budget today, which is close to Shs1.3 trillion and about 7 per cent of the total budget – health is the third biggest consumer of public resources, works and energy taking the first and second places, respectively.
Challenges in the health services notwithstanding, the NRM government over the past 20 years has achieved monumental landmarks in the health sector: Reducing infant mortality to below 60, universal immunisation culminating in eradication of polio and measles, putting close to 650,000 Ugandans on ARVs, rehabilitating, re-equipping and building of new health centres up to sub-county level (80 per cent) and policy and regulatory framework that has encouraged the private sector participation in provision of health services.
All these are achievements that put Uganda far much ahead of her peers. With the impending implementation of health insurance and a population that is increasingly seeking quality health services; there is no doubt that in a few years our health system will be one of the best in sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these reforms take time to have impact on the ultimate outcomes.
So I strongly believe that given our current state of disease prevalence and control, considering the effectiveness of health inputs that would be purchased at current prices and taking account of relative value and cost of other demands on national resources, government is doing what is realistically possible to improve our health services.
In a developing country like Uganda, you do not judge a health system by merely looking at how many sick people have not received the desired level of treatment but rather by how many people have been prevented from falling sick.
With regard to infrastructure – roads and energy, the NRM government, despite all the challenges ranging from budgetary to politico-imperialist sabotage, has done what I could refer to as miracles. Today, you can virtually reach most of the corners of Uganda on a tarmac road; it took the colonialists 72 years to tarmac only 1500 km. UPC and Amin combined (21 years) – they tarmacked less than 1,000 km despite the fact that Uganda’s economy was booming during the bigger part of this period, save 1981-1985.
NRM, with all the challenges of internal reactionary insurgency, geo-political schemes geared towards destabilisation and neo-imperialist schemes of sabotage and arrogance, we have managed to tarmac close to 4,000 km. In Africa, Uganda ranks among the best countries with a reasonable countrywide road network.
With energy, the only one dam that produced well below installed capacity of 180 megawatts, after Isimba and Karuma which will be commissioned in the next 4-5 years, we shall have power in excess of 1500 megawatts. Currently, 15 per cent of our country is connected to grid power compared to less than 2 per cent in 1986. We currently generate power in excess of 800 megawatts.
Alternative energy sources such as biogas and solar have been popularised and rural homes are increasingly using these alternative sources of energy.
There are other things which we take for granted: macro-economic stability, security and democracy. Despite all kinds of pressures, we have managed to keep our economy afloat including during the period of global economic /financial meltdown.
We have managed to secure our country against all kinds of threat and helped our African brothers in Great Lakes region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa to stabilise. We have one of the most disciplined, professional and battle the hardened army in Africa – despite our short history as an independent sovereign state. Our democracy has grown so much to the extent that some of us now regard over-democratisation as the major risk of Uganda as a State.
All the above are achievements that are there for all to see. Of course, the Opposition will not want to hear of these achievements since for them the only content they have for Ugandans are complaints towards what NRM has not done.
We are aware of the challenges we face, especially corruption. The cure to corruption will be dispensed through strengthening the institutional framework for accountability the investigative capacity of the Police, IGG, Auditor General, Parliament, Local Government Public Accounts Committees and education of the citizenry inculcating on the culture of zero tolerance to all forms of corrupt tendencies.
Transformation of society through education and household income will lead to a strong middle class and, of course, if well guided through patriotism related socialisation content, this middle class will be founded on a stronger value system.
The private sector with its robust internal control mechanisms supplemented by accountable government regulatory systems – all these will see the evil of corruption disappear in the near future. Mere personal vandetta based anti-corruption crusading will not cure corruption: and this is the approach our friends in the Opposition seem to favour.