By Nakalembe Judith Suzan

As the COVID 19 pandemic furies around the world, Gender based violence drives high and women and girls are more vulnerable to abuse than ever.  This has had serious consequences for women’s health since the pandemic has disrupted access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services at a time when women and girls need these services most”.[1]

Health care systems have been forced to channel all of their resources to combat the epidemic since it is perceived to be more pressing, despite the persistent need for adequate family planning, menstrual health resources, maternal care and protection of women form violence.

Movement restriction and lockdown while helpful in stopping the spread of the novel coronal virus has left women in abusive relationships trapped at home during the lockdown with the abuser, women usually use the gap of free movement time they need to escape the house, but the possibility of being locked up with the abuser for hours is something that should worry us all[2]

Pregnant women who need antenatal care are unsure whether to attend a clinic while some expectant mothers have been reported to have delivered by the road side others have lost their lives due to minimal and uncertain availability of transport means to health facilities.

The president of Uganda regulated movement of persons and vested the powers of authorization to the Resident City Commissioners (RCC) Resident District Commander (RDCs) and sub county chiefs for all those seeking medical care including expectant mothers whose condition often require emergency health care.

As  the country has closed schools and set travel restrictions in the wake of the corona virus pandemic, women   are facing  the burden of balancing childcare and having  to sleep  at work places as per the presidential directive, let alone full filling other marital obligations as married women.  Few men will let their wives sleep out of their home, an act that has triggered gender based violence and those who have persisted to go back home have been caught up by the curfew hours and ended up being flogged by security personals.

As CEHURD, we therefore call for an effective response to the pandemics needs to really look at gender dynamics in a meaningful way, as the pandemic is compounding existing gender inequalities, and increasing risks of gender-based violence.

1. The protection and promotion of the rights of women and girls should be prioritized.  While listing the essential services the president did not priorities legal and psychosocial services for survivors of gender based violence.  Government needs to prioritize services for the prevention and response and mitigate the consequences of all forms of   violence against women and girls.
2. Ensure that access to sexual and reproductive health services including contraceptive services is maintained, with special attention to women particularly in the context of self-isolation, when levels of intimate partner violence upsurge especially when families are placed under increased stress and relations are forced to live in confined spaces.[3]
3. We are also calling for priority testing of pregnant women with COVID-19 symptoms, isolation of pregnancy wards from confirmed COVID-19 cases, an elevation of care for any pregnant women with respiratory illnesses, and extra care for all women in delivery, in case breathing complications should arise

[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-hit-women-harder-than-men/

The Author is a Programme Officer at

CENTER FOR HEALTH HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT.

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Sheet Download; https://bit.ly/2UCXaoo

#EQUINET Africa has issued a second Information sheet on the COVID-19 pandemic. This summarises and provides links to official scientific information and resources to support an understanding of regional level responses to COVID-19.

The brief covers; Developments in the COVID-19 epidemic, The Health system response, Policy, politics and rights, Support for and in different communities, The macro-economic challenges and What does this all mean for equity?

by Annah Kukundakwe

One lesson we pick from the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic is that accurate information is essential in facilitating decision making and maintaining good health. Last week, the New Vision quoted Jane Naddunga saying contraceptives encourage youth to have multiple sexual partners and expose them to sexually transmitted infections, with specific reference to HIV/ Aids.

The World Health Organisation defines a contraceptive as a device or drug that serves to prevent pregnancy. Contraceptives, also commonly referred to as family planning methods can be both short term, long term or permanent. They can also be hormonal or non-hormonal. The organisation also summises that “promotion of use and access to preferred contraceptive methods for young people, women and men is essential in securing the well-being and autonomy of women and girls, while supporting the health and development of communities”.

Indeed evidence suggests that contraceptives do not lure youth into sexual activity nor expose them to HIV/Aids or any other sexually transmitted infections, cause cancer or stop future reproduction. On the contrary, contraceptives such as condoms provide dual protection against both sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy. 

National statistics reported in the national demographics and health survey 2016, indicate that by age 15, approximately 68 per cent of young women and 62 per cent of young men have had their first sexual intercourse. Among sexually active girls, nearly 64 per cent had never used contraceptives. Research conducted by the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) on human rights implications of inadequate contraceptive access and use in Uganda, indicates that limited access to information, especially among youth, is one of the key barriers to utilisation of reproductive health services including contraceptives. This has, in part, led to a rise in teenage pregnancies, causing a  nearly 34 per cent dropout rate among school going girls and exposing them to pregnancy related complications such as fistula or even death. 

Access to and utilisation of contraceptives is critical in protecting and attaining the right to health for both men and women through improvement of their reproductive health rights. This also ensures the productivity of Uganda’s young population by delaying child bearing and building human capital geared towards achieving the much desired middle income status. 

The current containment measures, such as the closure of learning institutions, being implemented to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus has limited young people’s access to reproductive health and rights information. Similarly the ban on public transportation has made it nearly impossible for them to access the necessary youth responsive services. Therefore the onus is on stakeholders, including parents to ensure that young people continue to attain correct, accurate and age appropriate information on their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and support them to safely access services as the need arises. 

The writer is a Programme Officer at Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)

While the world struggles to find innovative ways to treat Tuberculosis (TB), WHO estimates that more than 58 million lives were saved by global efforts to end TB between 2000 to 2018. However, in 2018 alone, 10 million fell ill, 1.5 million died and 0.5 million fell ill with Multi-Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB)^[1].

These statistics tell that even the best efforts employed sometimes fall short. Not everyone living with TB can access treatment and with the rise of COVID-19 globally, people living with Tuberculosis (TB) are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 and its effects. The true impact of COVID-19 is yet to be felt globally as more than 300,000 are already infected and it has claimed more than 16,700 lives, with its epicenter shifting from Wuhan, China to Europe.

Both TB and COVID-19 are highly infectious diseases. While TB is airborne, COVID-19 is transmittable through aerosols and it remains from several hours to days on various surfaces^[2]. Both TB, MDR-TB and COVID-19 have similar identifiable symptoms such as coughing however, while TB can be handled through treatment and medication, no known medication has been identified to successfully treat COVID-19.

TB and MDR-TB treatment and medication can be accessed through leveraging on the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights TR9IPS) flexibilities to facilitate access to medicines and engaging in strategies to deliver cheaper medicines for low- and middle-income countries such as Uganda. It is also important to ensure that the government strengthens the procurement and supply chains to enable the ultimate beneficiaries to have access to TB and MDR-TB medicines.

However, COVID-19 has created panic and fear that has grossly affected manufacture, supply, sale and distribution of essential commodities. This has greatly hit the population as the workforce is on lockdown and quarantine is highly encouraged. Given the nature of COVID-19, prevention strategies such as the use of hand sanitiser, face masks and regular washing of hands every 20 minutes are highly encouraged. However, this does not absolve the government from investing in the healthcare sector.

COVID-19 now presents a great strain on public health compared to TB and it would require the government to establish specialized health care units to handle patients suffering from COVID-19. It would equally require recruitment of health workers, purchase of specialized equipment required to detect and treat COVID-19. Though Jack Ma’s contribution to Uganda is well received, it is grossly inadequate to handle a country that has a population of more than 40 million people.

It’s now time for the government to increase budgetary allocation and human resources for health to combat TB, MDR-TB and COVID-19. The doctors’ strike in November 2017 due to inadequate pay, exposed the vulnerabilities in Uganda’s healthcare sector however, all this can change if the government is committed to increasing its budgetary allocation to the health care sector for the benefit of all Ugandans. Health is not a privilege neither is it a luxury, it’s a human right worth respecting and worth investing in.

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^[1] WHO “Tuberculosis Key facts” 24^th March 2020. Available at <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis>

^[2] Science News “Study reveals how long COVID-19 remains infectious on cardboard, metal and plastic” March 20^th 2020. Available at <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200320192755.htm>

By Paul Wasswa – Lawyer at the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)