Katie Day, University of Notre Dame
“Governance and Human Development in Uganda Through the Lens of the Implementation of the Health Sector Strategic Plan II (2005-2010)”
Bio: Katie Day is a senior at the University of Notre Dame with a double major in political science and theology. She spent her last two summers in Uganda, first studying regional conflict and peace processes, and then independently researching the role of governance in the implementation of health sector policy. She plans to utilize this research to write her senior thesis for political science.
Abstract: Through an analysis of Uganda’s Health Sector Strategic Plan II (HSSP II), this paper examines the role of governance, at all levels, on the implementation of human development policy in Uganda. Within the framework of Uganda’s progressive pro-poor development strategy, HSSP II aims to contribute to an improved quality of socio-economic growth by enfranchising the poor to partake in the nation’s health care system. Because the government is charged with stewardship of HSSP II, the researcher hypothesized that a lack of effective governance practices and oversight, especially at the district level, impedes the fruition of this initiative. Based upon primary research in Uganda, this paper will describe the function, strengths, and weaknesses of each level of government within Uganda’s health system. The specific case study follows the policy from the Ministry of Health, to Mpigi district, to Nkozi health sub-district, and finally to Nnindye parish in south-central Uganda. Research findings show that a lack of resources is the greatest obstacle to the realization of HSSP II, but disorganization and an absence of efficient communication at the district and health sub-district levels as well as mismanagement of the National Medical Stores also contribute to poor implementation. The many things needed to be done to improve health care at the local level require a holistic approach, i.e. throughout the whole health governance system, but private investment into the local community could definitely induce some short-term advancements.
