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Urban Refugees’ right to healthcare services in the wake of COVID-19: Leave No One Behind

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As the global community tirelessly grapples to contain the spread of COVID-19, I am worried about the fate of hundreds of thousands of urban refugees living in Uganda; a country with an ailing healthcare system that is largely characterized by drug stock-outs, shortage of health workers, limited access to health services and limited coping capacity. That notwithstanding, Uganda hosts approximately 1,394,678 refugees fleeing persecution, conflict, devastating effects of climate change, and human rights violations from neighboring countries such as Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan among others. Out of 1,394,378 refugees, 66,464 refugees reside in Kampala (Kampala central, Makindye, Kawempe, Nakawa, Nansana, and Rubaga). Non-recognition of their status as refugees, especially Congolese demonstrates their unique legal, social and economic vulnerability which threatens their basic human rights, including access to healthcare. In addition, living conditions am
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A Human rights-based approach to climate change: A missed Opportunity for Uganda

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A Human rights-based approach to climate change: A missed Opportunity for Uganda                                                                                                                                By                                                  Labila Sumayah Musoke “Our efforts to stabilize the global climate over the course of the past two decades constitutes a series of failed promises and missed opportunities” Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, July 17, 2007 [1] . Introduction  Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented level of attention on the concept of sustainable development.  This has not left concepts of law like climate change and human rights untouched [2] . In the sustainable development discourse, law is regarded as ‘an instrument’ tailored to promote “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs” [3] . Strategically addressing climate change is by far today’s greatest cha
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Zim government, doctors’ stalemate affects ordinary poor

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By CWGH  THE current stalemate between government and the striking doctors over poor working conditions, poor remuneration and absence of the tools of trade has taken too long to address and has caused untold suffering and deaths across the country. Doctors in the country’s public health institutions have been on strike since August this year. So far, the government fired at least 435 doctors after they turned down its offer of 70% salary increment. An offer by telecommunication mogul Strive Masiyiwa’s Higherlife Foundation to pay the doctors has divided the striking medical practitioners, who fall under the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA). A splinter association with suspected links to the government, the Progressive Doctors’ Association of Zimbabwe (PDAZ), was launched recently to represent those willing to go back to work, further complicating the dialogue process. The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH), which is mediating in the protracted labour disput
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PHM South Africa highlights the lack of access to healthy food

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A small group from the People’s Health Movement South Africa protested in front of parliament highlighting the lack of access to affordable and healthy food and the burden of malnutrition, undernutrition and obesity in South Africa.  Read more on Daily Maverick: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-12-10-protesters-demand-that-poor-communities-have-access-to-healthy-food/
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Community Health Ambassador for Malawi

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Maziko Matemba from PHM Malawi appointed as the Community Health Ambassador in Malawi on UHC Day. PHM Malawi attended the commemorations including the launch of the Community and Primary Health Care acceleration plan.
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Access to safe abortion remains a dream for many women in Uganda-Universal Health Coverage Must Include Access to Medical Abortion!

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As we mark the International Universal Health Coverage day, December 12 , under the theme “Keep the Promise”, it is crucial to highlight the World Health Organization (WHO)’s policy incoherence regarding misoprostol and mifepristone. Is the WHO keeping the promise of delivering universal health for all? WHO’s policy incoherence regarding the status of misoprostol and mifepristone constitutes a significant barrier to wider access to safe medical abortion. WHO must keep the promise of UHC and unequivocally endorse prompt low cost access to misoprostol and mifepristone including appropriate advice on usage and precautions. This comment addresses the global issue taking Uganda as a case study.   Access to essential health care is the ‘promise’ of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It is also a fundamental human right. The mortality burden globally associated with unsafe abortion is horrendous and could be dramatically reduced if prompt low cost access to safe medical abortion was
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An Analysis of the COPASAH Symposium from Denis Bukenya, PHM Uganda/HURIC

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The title to the COPASAH Symposium alone set the pace to this Analysis, “Leaving no one behind: Strengthening Community Centred Health Systems for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals”. This title in my mind alludes to a commitment to serve a people and humanity through a more democratic approach that allows them to be involved in their own health challenge solving and development. It is important to note that many marginalized people’s lives in the community are in jeopardy the world over hence the need for community ethos and creation of a conversation between grassroots practitioners, policy advocates, research and academia, policy makers and the implementer. The symposium encased a motley of approaches from the grassroots, practitioners, researchers and academia, policy makers and implementers from all over world, uniquely modeled to gainfully engage members of community and their leaders to improve governance and encourage community accountability. While COPASAH has been ru
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