The Executive Director of Center for Health Human Rights and Development is this week representing the organization during a with Global leaders in Health Systems Research for the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Vancouver.

Mr. Mulumba will be part of the Key note speakers and he will be sharing thoughts from a retrospective look at how lessons learnt from key moments in the field of health policy and systems research and practice might shape and inform the field going forward. For more Information please follow this LINK

Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) in partnership with the Open Society Justice Initiative organized an Africa Regional Strategy Meeting on Access to Information and the Right to Health. The meeting was held on October 12th – 14th, 2016 at Lake Victoria Serena Hotel, Entebbe – Uganda.

The right of Access to Information is essential for improvement of governance, promotion of transparency and accountability and the use of information to ensure that other human rights are exercised.

The concept that access to health information is key in protecting the right to health was the basis of the meeting.  The meeting gathered health rights advocates from Malawi, Kenya Uganda, Zimbabwe Tanzania and Nigeria to share insights on Access to Information in their countries of origin.

In his remarks, Mr. Mulumba Moses proposed that, “the issue of Access to Information needs to have a regional perspective given that each country perceives it differently, leading to the creation of strong networks in the region.”
In Uganda, the right of Access to Information pursuant to Article 41 of the Constitution grants every citizen the right to access information in the possession of the state or any other state agency except when the release of information affects state sovereignty or interferes with privacy rights.

Zeroing in on Access to Information (ATI) in the health sector, The Ministry of Health in Uganda has made progress in achieving ATI in Health. In 2011, the ministry introduced the DHIS-2 for online access of electronic health information.

Dr. Mukooyo Eddie said, “The ministry is yet to launch the Uganda Integrated Health Information System to which all service providers whether public or private will subscribe to.”

Although Uganda has made progress in implementing ATI in health, there are gaps hindering effective implementation of the law for example; the law is limited to public and not private institution, intimidation by the custodians of the information, weakness in the judicial system, lack of awareness about the Access To Information Act, poor attitudes and perceptions of public officials towards openness in sharing information.

Such shortfalls have led to scanty or no information on issues to do with; organ theft (an increasingly common practise in health facilities), drug stock outs, drugs expiring and allocation of health resources among others; yet these are critical issues of public concern.

To mitigate the inaccessibility of health information participants suggested the need for more awareness on the Access to Information Act at community level, effective implementation of the Access to Information Act, building coalitions and networks for information sharing.

Through the meeting, the teams got opportunity to share best practises from countries that successfully applied ATI.
Mariana Mas from the Open Society Initiative said, “Mexico used the social monitoring strategy to investigate the disparities in payment of medical staff as compared to what the Ministry of Health was required to pay them.”
She narrated, that in Uruguay, ATI was used to ensure that the Ministry of Education provided public schools with fire extinguishers, given that it was found that 94% of the public schools did not have these fire protection devices.  Other strategies she mentioned included litigation and public demonstrations.

Ms. Mariana called for the need to go through the information request process, putting in mind that one strategy that works in Uganda may not necessarily work in Zimbabwe and therefore a need to critically assess the environment is important.

For countries like Kenya, being the newest country to pass the ATI law in August 2016, their representatives used the meeting as an opportunity to learn from countries that had the Access to Information law, way before them. With a few challenges they are facing like violation of human rights, and less media engagement, the Kenyan participants believe that they still have the opportunity to develop a road-map for implementation of the law.

Some of the critical concepts participants went with at the end of the meeting included; proactive disclosure by the custodians of public information and the need to expand the ATI discourse to the private sector.

The meeting was closed by Dr. Mukooyo who in his remarks called for more partnerships with government for implementation of the Access to Information Act.

Press Release

For immediate release

November 4th, 2016

Kampala – Uganda. On October 18th, 2016, the Center for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) filed two cases against the Attorney General of Uganda in its representative capacity for Uganda Cancer Institute and Uganda Atomic Energy Council challenging their refusal to grant access to information requests made for access to public information.

CEHURD filed two access to information requests to Uganda Atomic Energy Council requesting to be granted access to copies of licenses and inspection reports relating to radiotherapy equipment at Uganda Cancer Institute. CEHURD also filed four access to information requests to the Uganda Cancer Institute requesting for access to information regarding how many patients had been affected by the breakdown of the radio therapy machine, the alternatives available for treatment of patients affected by the breakdown of the radiotherapy machine and the licenses which have been received by the Institute in relation to radiotherapy equipment. Both the Uganda Cancer Institute and the Uganda Atomic Energy Council have refused to provide the information requested.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda under Article 41 provides for the right to access information in possession of a public body when it states that “Every citizen has a right of access to information in the possession of the State or any other organ or agency of the State except where the release of the information is likely to prejudice the security or sovereignty of the State or interfere with the right to the privacy of any other person.”

The Access to Information Act, 2005 also provides under Section 16 that an information officer to whom a request for access is made should as soon as reasonably possible, but in any event, within twenty one days after the request is received, determine in accordance with this Act, whether to grant the request and notify the person requesting the access of the decision to grant or not to grant access to the information requested.

“Uganda Atomic Energy Council and Uganda Cancer Institute both have a constitutional and statutory duties to provide access to information which is in their possession when any member of the public requests for it in accordance with the law. Having failed in their obligation to provide such information, they left CEHURD with no option other than to seek courts intervention.” – Epongu Edmond – Program Officer at CEHURD.

Information is power that can be wielded for and against the public depending on who controls the information and who is allowed to access it. UAEC and UCI can protect and empower society by making such information available to their website and to all persons desiring to access it at any time even if with costs for accessing it.

The judiciary has been called upon to compel UAEC and UCI to provide access to the documents requested because the constitution protects the right of Ugandans to access the information.

For more information contact info@cehurd.org, or call +256-414-532283, or  Epongu Edmond on epongu@cehurd.org

The strategic litigation program is a pertinent program at CEHURD in as far as it uses the tool of litigation in promoting social justice in health in Uganda, East Africa and Africa at large. Litigation at CEHURD is done strategically to impact the health system in Uganda through public interest litigation and probono services offered to the indigent.

In 2011 CEHURD filed a land mark case before the Constitutional Court of Uganda. This is the famous Petition 16. In this case CEHURD sought the court’s indulgence on the interpretation of the constitution in as far as the government is responsible for ensuring that women in public facilities do not die of preventable maternal deaths.

This case is a great phenomenon in the promotion of the right to health. It has in fact become a model case on litigating the right to health and has thus bred other cases filed at the courts of law and other quasi judicial bodies such as the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioner’s Council among others.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda does not expressly provide for the right to health, we mainly use the Article 45, 8A and the National Objectives of State Policy.  We also infer the right to health from other rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda. These include; the right to life (Article 22), Equality and non-discrimination (Article 21), Freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (Article 24 and 44), Access to information (Article 41), the right to clean and healthy environment(Article 39), among others.

Please find the summary of the cases litigated by CEHURD as per 2016. Click on>>>> SUMMARY OF CASES

Today Uganda commemorates Safe Motherhood day. The day is commemorated under the theme “Expand opportunities for adolescent health services, End Maternal Mortality.”
As the country celebrates this day, Ministry of health still reports  the Maternal Mortality Ration as 343 per 100,000 live births and the infant mortality rate  estimated to be 54 per 1000 live births. These numbers are rather still to high.

In line with the Sustainable Development Gial 3: The Center for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) together with civil society Organizations in Uganda are advocating for a reduction of maternal mortality in the country. The teams call upon the government of Uganda to fulfill its statutory obligation by providing basic maternal health services to Ugandan women. These services  include; prenatal care services, skilled medical officers health facilities at provision of Emergency Obstetric Care and postpartum care

As we celebrate this day, CEHURD mourns all expectant mothers that due every day while giving birth to life. It’s such a pain to loose 16 women everyday an equivalent Of a mini bus crushing in Uganda everyday.
We call upon the judiciary to experdite the process of hearing Constitutional Petition No. 16 of 2011, a landmark maternal health case and call upon all stakeholders to join us in sensitizing the women including the youth and adolescents  about their right to receive and impart accurate  sexual reproductive health information and empower them to make informed decisions and delay pregnancy. #SafeMothersUg