Health
First-Ever Harmonized Health Facility Assessment by MakSPH and MoH Reveals Improvements in Uganda’s Overall Health Services
By Julius Tukacungurwa & Davidson Ndyabahika
The first ever Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA) jointly conducted by MakSPH and the Ministry of Health (MoH) has illuminated significant advancements in Uganda’s healthcare landscape. This ground-breaking survey, which serves as a robust benchmark for evaluating health services across the country, offers a comprehensive overview of service availability and readiness within Ugandan health facilities.
The HHFA, a successor to the esteemed Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) tool endorsed by the WHO, probes into four critical modules: service availability, service readiness, quality of care and safety, and management and finance.
Focusing initially on service availability and readiness, the HHFA embarked on a cross-sectional analysis of 642 facilities in April 2022, spanning National Referral Hospitals (NRHs), Regional Referral Hospitals (RRHs), General Hospitals (GHs), primary healthcare facilities at levels II, III, and IV.
The findings, while highlighting disparities in service availability and facility capacity across different healthcare sectors, underscore a promising trajectory towards enhancing overall health services nationwide.
Dr. Christopher Garimoi Orach, a Professor of Community Health at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), led the team that conducted the survey. He presented the report which was subsequently launched by Uganda’s Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero on Tuesday 12th.March.2024 during the 10th Annual National Health Care Quality Improvement Conference at Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, Entebbe.
The findings of the HHFA report indicate that Reproductive Maternal Newborn Care and Adolescent Health (RMNACH) services were available in most health care facilities across the country. In Uganda, healthcare facilities offer a wide range of essential services, including pediatric care, antenatal and postnatal care, malaria prevention during pregnancy, and newborn care, with over 95% providing these services according to the report. Findings also show that continuous antenatal care is available in about 79% of facilities, while skilled delivery services are offered in 89%. Additionally, family planning, emergency obstetric care, immunization, and adolescent health services are widely accessible, with percentages ranging from 77% to 91%.
During the launch event, Dr. Aceng underscored the significant steps made by the health sector in meeting crucial performance benchmarks. These include a notable 47% reduction in Maternal Mortality between 2016 and 2022, a commendable 12% decrease in Under 5 Mortality over the same period, and a promising 7% decline in Infant Mortality rates as highlighted in the Uganda Demographic Survey (UDHS) Report 2022.
“As you might know, overall, the health sector has made good progress towards achieving the key performance indicator targets. I wish to appreciate each one of you for the job well done,” said Dr. Aceng.
Adding that; “The Ministry of Health continues to make big investments in the national health system. Mulago National Referral Hospital, Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital, and several Regional Referral Hospitals have received infrastructure development including installation of modern medical equipment.
There is also deliberate effort to improve access to health service, delivery to the community through purposeful upgrade of some HC IIs to corresponding equipping and general review of the human resource requirements in the health sector. There is also deliberate effort to improve access to health services, delivery to the community through purposeful upgrade of some HC lIs to HC Ills with corresponding equipping and general review of the human resource requirements in the health sector.”
The also study highlights a significant increase in Uganda’s general service index, rising from 48% in 2018 to 59% presently. Utilizing a similar survey methodology, researchers observed notable improvements in the availability of health interventions across various domains. Particularly in Reproductive Maternal Adolescent Health services, higher provision rates were evident, especially at higher-level health facilities. Moreover, delivery assistance at Health Centres IIIs and above by skilled attendants has become standard practice, with nine out of ten cases receiving skilled care.
Immunization services have also witnessed widespread availability, notably in hospital settings. However, while all surveyed facilities now offer malaria treatment services, access to non-communicable disease management, such as cancer diagnosis and treatment, remains limited, and readiness to provide transportation services for community members in need is inadequate.
According to Professor Orach, the Ministry of Health should strengthen and improve diagnosis and treatment of cancers generally across the country, especially at the National and Regional Referral Hospitals so that many more people at community levels can access the services. He also notes that the Ministry needs to quickly do everything possible to strengthen the transportation systems for patients from communities to reach and access health services.
The research noted that salary enhancement is a step in the right direction for improving how health workers perform. “We need to enhance that by ensuring that, ‘the health system, which is a complex system’, when we enhance salaries, we still need to continue to monitoring the health workers, we still need to continue to provide other requirements for the performance of health services, like drugs should be available,” noted Professor Orach.
Adding that; “Transport should be available, other ways of ensuring that their performance can be up to the expected standard. So, in other words, that’s an important step and we must thank the government for what they’ve done here for we should still support them in other ways and monitor them closely to ensure, guidelines are available for services, that drugs are available, so that they can continue to provide good services.”
“Our findings also show that for instance, the private health practitioners are not carrying out a lot of immunization, but government health facilities and private not for profit facilities are providing immunization services. This means that the private health practitioners don’t focus on immunization since it may not be bringing them money, they sought the ministry to engage with them to ensure that they’re brought on board so that they can provide their services in an integrated manner,” he noted.
During the event, Associate Professor Peter Waiswa from the Health Policy, Planning and Management Department at MakSPH delivered a keynote address on ‘Understanding Health Systems Strengthening in a resource limited set-up.’ Professor Waiswa has had research work in maternal, new-born and child health in low and middle-income countries.
According to Dr. Diana Atwiine, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, this health facility assessment and report will significantly enhance MoH’s institutional capacity for strategic planning and policy development in Uganda’s health sector.
“The Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) Team led by Prof. Christopher Garimoi Orach is appreciated for spearheading the entire process of undertaking the HHFA and developing the report. The MoH is very grateful for the diligent work well-done by the various actors that included the technical officers, research assistants and the administration staff to have the final report meticulously developed,” said Dr. Atwiine.
Dr. Henry G. Mwebesa, Director General of Health Services, emphasizes the pivotal role of robust health systems in achieving lasting health advancements. He underscores that the findings will facilitate the country’s ability to track health service progress, advancing towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This data supports evidence-based decision-making, fortifying national health system planning and policy-making.
“This HHFA report is recommended for use by the various key stakeholders including health service managers, district leaders, ministry of health officials, both government, private sector, civil society organizations and development partners at different levels to inform and improve planning and implementation of effective health services delivery in Uganda,” says Dr. Mwebesa.
Photos by Julius Tukacungurwa.
Health experts from across Africa have called for stronger use of routine health data in planning, supervision and service delivery, noting that although countries are generating large amounts of health information, much of it is still not being used.
The call came during a webinar hosted by the Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in partnership with The Global Fund under the theme “From National Dashboards to District Action: Strengthening Subnational Data Use for Planning, Supervision and Service Delivery.”
The webinar brought together health information specialists, policymakers and practitioners from Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia to share experiences and lessons on using subnational data for evidence based decision making.
Kenya’s journey from data collection to action
In her keynote address, Dr Helen Kiarie, Head of the Monitoring and Evaluation Division at Kenya’s Ministry of Health, urged health practitioners and policymakers to move beyond routine reporting and use data to improve health outcomes.
“The bottleneck is no longer collecting data. It is turning routine data into decisions and decisions into action,” Dr Kiarie said.
Drawing on Kenya’s experience, she pointed to the country’s shift from paper based reporting systems to digital platforms, noting that more than 95% of public health facilities have been digitised.
According to Dr Kiarie, Kenya has developed National Data Analytics Guidelines to support evidence based decision making across the health system. The guidelines set out a structured approach to data analysis, interpretation and dissemination so that the information generated can be used.
She said building a culture of data use requires leadership that asks for evidence, regular performance reviews, public dashboards, mentorship programmes, and the integration of data into planning and budgeting.
Community data improving maternal health
Dr Kiarie gave practical examples of how data can shape health outcomes.
In Kwale County, community health promoters used household level data to identify and follow up pregnant women, encouraging them to attend antenatal care services and deliver at health facilities.
As a result, skilled birth attendance increased from 50 per cent in 2022 to 85 per cent, while reported home deliveries fell from 808 to 248.
She also pointed to Kenya’s efforts to link digital health data with health financing systems, saying better documentation and data quality have strengthened accountability and increased reimbursements to health facilities.
She added that real time maternal and perinatal death surveillance systems are helping health authorities identify gaps in care, assign responsibility and take corrective action to prevent avoidable deaths.
“Data has moved beyond documenting losses to becoming an instrument for preventing the next avoidable death,” Dr Kiarie said.
Addressing data quality challenges
Despite major investments in digital health systems, Dr Kiarie acknowledged that data quality challenges remain.
She cited system downtimes, the parallel use of paper and digital records, limited access to some digital platforms, and resistance to change among some health workers as barriers to data quality and use.
Still, she said Kenya’s data quality has improved considerably through digitisation and continued investment in governance, analytics capacity and quality assurance.
Regional experiences and lessons
The webinar also included a panel discussion with experts from Uganda, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, who shared experiences on strengthening data use at district and facility level.
The discussion pointed to the importance of strong leadership, timely information, digital infrastructure and feedback mechanisms that help health workers and managers make informed decisions with the data available.
Participants agreed that health information systems should do more than serve as reporting tools. They should also support decision making where services are delivered.
Moving from information to impact
Speaking during the webinar, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health (MAKSPH), commended countries for progress in strengthening health information systems and encouraging data use.
She urged practitioners and researchers to go beyond documenting challenges and start capturing examples of how data informed decisions are improving programmes and health outcomes.
“It would be really good for us to dig deeper in terms of what decisions we have actually made and what we would not have known or done differently if we did not have the data,” she said.
In his closing remarks, Dr Wodimu Ayele of The Global Fund said the value of data lies in its ability to improve service delivery, inform decision making and strengthen accountability.
He called on countries to keep investing in data quality, analytics capacity and health information systems, while making sure evidence generated at all levels leads to measurable improvements in health outcomes.
Uganda has released the preliminary findings of the 2025 Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA 2025), a national household survey that provides a current picture of the country’s HIV response and selected non-communicable disease indicators.
At the Uganda Media Centre today, 1 October 2026, the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr Chris Baryomunsi, released the preliminary results and said the evidence would guide policy, resource allocation and service improvement, with particular attention to people and communities with the greatest gaps. He urged Ugandans to know their HIV status, use prevention services and, when diagnosed, start treatment promptly and adhere to it.
Among adults aged 15 years and above, HIV prevalence was 5.9 percent, including 7.3 percent among women and 4.1 percent among men. Among adults aged 15–64, prevalence was also 5.9 percent, unchanged from 2020/21. Across the country, prevalence ranged from 1.3 percent in Karamoja to 8.0 percent in the South Western region. Of adults living with HIV, 85.3 percent knew their status; 99.1 percent of those aware were on treatment; and 96.5 percent of those on treatment had achieved viral load suppression. HIV-status awareness remains the central gap in the 95-95-95 cascade.
The survey also measured selected non-communicable disease indicators for the first time. Elevated blood pressure affected 15.5 percent of adults, while 24.8 percent had overweight or obesity and 0.9 percent had raised blood glucose.
Conducted from July to September 2025, UPHIA 2025 was the first population-based HIV impact assessment to be fully country-led. The Ministry of Health provided overall leadership, while Makerere University School of Public Health served as the prime implementing organisation, working with UVRI, UBOS, regional referral hospitals and local governments. PEPFAR funded the survey through the U.S. CDC.
Watch the UPHIA 2025 preliminary results launch:
https://www.youtube.com/live/QfHFBaJ-L-w
Read the UPHIA 2025 summary results:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nElGNwgcAcZyAo9CLCQKRpO2jJgyxjSc/view?usp=drive_link
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