Uganda shifts to self-care as key to healthier communities

29 August 2025, 5:20 pm

Byamukama Alozious

Ministry of Health is making a major shift in its health strategy, putting prevention and self-care at the center of service delivery. For years, the health system focused mainly on curative care ensuring hospitals had medicines and treating illnesses after they occurred. But with nearly 33 million cases treated in health facilities last year alone, out of a national population of 46 million, the government realized that most of these illnesses could have been prevented at the community level.

“Seventy-six percent of the diseases presented in hospitals are preventable,” explained Brenda Nakanwaji, from the Ministry of Health’s Community Health Department. “Self-care is here to remind people that health begins with them. You don’t always have to go to a facility for services. You can check your blood pressure, monitor your sugar levels, and take responsibility for your own health at home.”

This renewed focus has given birth to Uganda’s first National Community Health Strategy, which strengthens the role of local governments, health assistants, village health teams, and district planners in bringing health services closer to communities. District officials are now seen as frontline actors in promoting healthier living.

In Jinja Distritrict local government, for instance, local leaders are already taking action. “At first, the idea of self-care was confusing,” admitted Veronica Nakyetune, a district planner. “But with guidance, we found a way to incorporate it into our budget. We began by linking it to HIV funding and then expanded it to other health areas. This year, we are focusing on sensitization, and next year we plan to roll out broader community activities.”

The Ministry of Health has also embraced technology, creating the Self-Care Uganda app, currently available on Android. The app provides guidance on family planning, nutrition, HIV management, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), while also making referrals where necessary.

Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, emphasized the urgency of the shift. “One in four Ugandans has high blood pressure. Yet many people wait until it is too late to act. Self-care is about taking small but consistent steps eating well, exercising, seeking care early, and practicing wellness every day.”

The push for self-care has also been supported by development partners, including the World Health Organization, which released global guidelines in 2019 and updated them in 2022. Uganda was among the first countries to adapt these guidelines, launching a national self-care framework in 2022. Since then, interventions such as HIV self-testing, self-injectable contraceptives, and HPV self-sampling have been piloted successfully and are now being scaled up.

At a recent meeting with officials from 12 districts including Luweero, Kamuli, Jinja, Masindi, and Mukono and also stakeholders including the Inter-Religious Council,  the officials committed to integrating self-care into local health systems. The goal is not only to ease pressure on hospitals but also to achieve universal health coverage by empowering Ugandans to take charge of their own well-being.

“Medicine is not food, but food is medicine,” Nakanwaji reminded communities. “If every Ugandan takes responsibility for their own health by eating well, exercising, drinking clean water, and seeking timely care, we will live longer and healthier lives.”