According to the Budget Framework Paper the budget allocation to the national medical stores has increased by just 10bn shillings from 410bn shillings in the current financial year. Dr. Bukenya says this increment is to be shared among the regional referral hospitals only and so the NMS budget remains stagnant.
The chairperson of the health committee of parliament Dr.
Michael Bukenya has expressed concerns about possible continued drug stock outs
following a failure by the government to improve on the budget for the National
Medical Stores (NMS) next financial year.
Bukenya’s comments come as the health committee begins
scrutiny of the Budget Framework Paper in relation to allocations and
priorities for the health sector in the financial year 2021/2022.
The current budgeting process has shifted from output-based
budgeting to program-based
budgeting in a bid to improve the link between budgeting and national strategic objectives.
The program-based budgeting structure allocates resources
by program or functional area,
in alignment with the national development plan.
The health sector falls under the Human Capital
Development Program which contributes mainly to the NDPIII objective four which
is to enhance the productivity and social wellbeing of the population. It emphasizes
the role of the four thematic areas of health, education and Sports, Water and
Gender towards increasing productivity, inclusiveness and wellbeing of population
for wealth creation.
But an analysis of allocations towards the health sector
shows a reduction of resources from 2.77 trillion in the current financial year
to 2.52 trillion shillings.
Dr. Bukenya expresses worry that the budget for drugs has
not been improved and this might result into drug shortages escalating next
financial year.
According to the Budget Framework Paper the budget allocation
to the national medical stores has increased by just 10bn shillings from 410bn shillings
in the current financial year.
Dr. Bukenya says this increment is to be shared among the
regional referral hospitals only and so the NMS budget remains stagnant.
He also expresses concerns about the failure by government
to improve the wage bill for health workers, despite a promise by the government
to increase salaries of Doctors and other health workers in the next financial
year.
Bukenya says these issues will be foremost among the matters
they intend to raise with the minister of health and the budget committee of
parliament.
