Updates on the 7th National CHF Conference 2023
RESOLUTIONS FROM THE 7th NATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH FINANCING CONFERENCE HELD ON 23rd – 24th NOVEMBER 2023 AT PROTEA HOTEL ENTEBBE.
Theme of the conference
Toward universal health coverage in Uganda through expanding private and community health insurance schemes.
The conference objectives are:
i. To propose strategies for expanding private and community-based health insurance schemes in Uganda.
ii. To propose a legal framework for community-based health insurance schemes to operate in Uganda alongside the National Health Insurance Scheme to facilitate achievement of UHC.
iii. To explore innovative approaches and technological solutions to improve accessibility, efficiency and effectiveness of health insurance schemes for wider coverage.
iv. To secure political will and action for introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Conference outputs
i. Innovations for expanding and sustaining community-based health insurance schemes for co-existence with and/or integration into the NHIS developed.
ii. Proposals made for regulating CHI schemes to run alongside or as part of the NHIS.
iii. A joint plan of action for stakeholders to secure political will and action for NHIS and its quick introduction developed.
Participants of the conference
The conference garnered diverse participation of key representatives from pivotal ministries including; Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ministry of East-African Community Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives, Ministry of Local Government, Members of Parliament, Civil Society Organizations, Private Sector, Health Insurance Providers, Health Care Providers, Media, District Local Government, Academia to mention but a few
Opening and closing of the conference
The conference was officially opened by the State Minister of Health for primary health care Hon. Margret Muhanga and also officially closed by the Commissioner in-charge of youth and children affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Mr. Mondo Kyateeka.
Driven by our shared dedication and enlightened by the comprehensive discussions and expert insights shared during the conference, the participants hereby declared and adopted the following resolutions:
Conference Resolutions
| No. | Resolution | Action |
| 1. | Establish an effective coordination mechanism for CHI promoters. | Create a robust coordination mechanism for Community Health Insurance promoters and schemes |
| 2. | Develop community health insurance implementation guidelines | Collaborate with the Ministry of Health to develop and disseminate guidelines for effectively implementing community health insurance schemes across the country. This aims to enhance access to affordable and quality health care services for all Ugandans. |
| 3. | Integrate Community Health Insurance schemes into the National Health Insurance Scheme | Include community health insurance schemes in the proposed National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) law and articulate their roles in the institutional arrangement for its implementation. |
| 4. | Digitize Community Health Insurance operations | Digitize CHI operations by adopting electronic membership and health records management systems. |
| 5. | Increase awareness about health insurance and ease enrolment of members | Form partnerships with ICT companies to raise awareness about health insurance, facilitate biomedical digital enrolment of members and premium collection. This partnership will be guided by the policy framework as shall be established by the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance. |
| 6. | Utilize mobile applications and biometrics | Utilize mobile applications and biometrics for monitoring health care service utilization and sharing information. |
| 7. | Adopt data driven monitoring tools | Implement data-driven insight tools to monitor and evaluate CHI programmes effectively. |
| 8. | Integrate CHI into households’ income enhancement programmes. | Advocate for household income enhancement programmes to integrate enrolment of the beneficiaries in community health insurance to facilitate protection of households from incurring catastrophic expenditure on health care, which may render them vulnerable to poverty and therefore limit the impact of the programmes. |
