Implications of the Covid-19 mitigation model on people’s right to health in Uganda

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the approach used by the Ugandan Government in implementing the Covid-19 mitigation model and establish whether it did not expose government’s failure to soundly protect and respect all her citizens’ right to health during the first four months of the Covid-19 crisis in the country. Design/methodology/approach The study was qualitative focusing on a population of households of vulnerable and chronically ill patients in Mukono and Wakiso districts of Uganda. The sample was identified through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Purposive and snowball sampling was chosen for this study to select unique informative cases which were subjected to in-depth interviews. Findings The findings of the study revealed that disadvantaged and vulnerable citizens of Uganda experienced severe and increased shortages of food, increased cases of ill-health, compromised ability and mobility to access health services as a result of the government's Covid-19 mitigation model. Research limitations/implications The data collection exercise was conducted during the Covid-19 lockdown when the mobility was restricted to only essential services so data was collected in the two districts of Mukono and Wakiso in Uganda. Practical implications Pandemic mitigation models ought to be people-centred executed by a multidisciplinary team which are empathetic towards the views of disadvantaged communities and thereby cultivate a culture of care over time. Social implications Public health models and policies work more effectively if they are contextualized to work for both the high and low classes of people across the whole spectrum. Originality/value Given this awareness of the Covid-19 mitigation model, this paper unveils the immediate consequential effects of the model considering the manner under which it was formulated and implemented in the Ugandan society. While the government implemented the model in exercise of its obligations, contextual factors had advance limitations to the efficacy of the model. Most significantly, among the expectant mothers, the old, the sick with terminal illnesses, the physically challenged and hunger-stricken families with no daily sources of income.

Iatrogenic Female Genitourinary Fistula in Uganda: Etiology, Twelve-year trends, and Risk factors among women delivered by cesarean section

“…The sharp rise in both iatrogenic and obstetric stulae seen from 2019 to 2021 could be due to the covid 19 induced lockdowns. The restricted movement of people made it di cult to have an effective referral system leading to late referrals [18,19]. As a result, lower facilities could have had di culty transferring cases of obstructed labour and other di cult operations.…”

The effectiveness of COVID-19 surveillance applications in Uganda:

“…Whereas some governments have attempted to proactively provide socio-humanistic non-medical approaches through building digital infrastructure and introducing e-government systems to ease the fight against COVID-19, other governments have relied on lockdowns to control the fast spread of the deadly virus. Though lockdown effectively curtailed the infection rates in Uganda, it negatively affected the economic and social wellbeing of society (Buwule et al, 2021).…”