Uganda
A small, landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east Africa, Uganda has struggled with years of civil conflict, but is rich in natural resources and economic potential. While pursuing one of the more successful HIV/AIDS programs in Africa, Uganda faces an acute shortage of health care workers.
Uganda’s health care system has half the trained staff required to handle the country’s HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, family planning and other basic health care needs. IntraHealth’s goal in Uganda is to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to strengthen its human resources management and its ability to gather and use accurate data to make informed workforce planning and policy decisions.
IntraHealth’s main work in Uganda includes:
- Building an integrated human resources information system to enhance health workforce management and planning
- Improving health worker retention and performance
- Developing a workforce safety program to protect workers against HIV and other blood-borne risks
- Strengthening human resources to provide expanded, coordinated and collaborative tuberculosis and HIV services
- Developing standards for continuing education for the country's health professional councils and associations.
Donor/Project: USAID (Capacity Project)
Partners: JHPIEGO, Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health, Training Resources Group, Inc.
Selected health statistics for Uganda (WHO, accessed July 2007):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 48/51
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 136
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: 2.8–6.6%
Maternal mortality, 2000 stats (per 100,000 live births): 880