Uganda has taken a pioneering step with the primary aim of developing the country’s health sector to enhance medical services for patients, increase both the number and quality of healthcare personnel, and develop medical infrastructure.
This commitment has been translated into reality by doubling the budget allocations for the sector in the 2025–2026 fiscal year to more than $1.5 billion.
This new allocation represents 8.1% of Uganda’s total national budget, up from slightly over 4% in the previous year, according to the Global Network for Social Health Protection and Health Financing (P4H), which described this investment as a reflection of the government’s commitment to improving access to healthcare and protecting public health.
Uganda is intensifying efforts to increase funding for hiring healthcare personnel, building and developing hospitals, intensive care units, maternal health units, and purchasing essential medicines, in addition to engaging in international partnerships to develop eye hospitals and exchange expertise in this field.
A British Experience
Among Uganda’s initiatives, the government in Kampala brought in a specialised ophthalmology team from Moorfields Eye Hospital in the United Kingdom to provide eye care services in partnership with local healthcare facilities.
According to ANNALS OF GLOBAL HEALTH in an April report, as part of North-South international partnerships and expert exchanges, ophthalmologists from the UK are mobilised annually to Uganda to expand the scope of healthcare services for the population.
Globally, an estimated 1.6 billion people suffer from visual impairment or blindness, 89% of whom reside in low- and middle-income countries where access to eye care is often limited, the journal notes.
The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of visual impairment can be prevented or treated, highlighting the need for effective partnerships to address this significant health burden.
The journal further reports that Uganda, like many sub-Saharan African countries, faces challenges in eye health. According to the National Eye Health Survey in Uganda, over 1.4 million people in the country live with visual impairment or blindness.
To support dozens of Ugandan ophthalmologists serving a population of 45 million, the British initiative was implemented.
Global health partnerships, particularly between Uganda and the United Kingdom, aim to strengthen eye care systems and services, build the capacity of professionals in this medical field, and improve access to care, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Indeed, more than 40 resident ophthalmologists in Uganda have collaborated with over 30 UK eye care specialists this year, resulting in the exchange of knowledge and surgical skills in critical areas such as oculoplastic surgery, retinal and vitreous surgery, and retinopathy of prematurity.
These efforts have collectively improved access to services, as confirmed by the journal.
A Comprehensive Hospital
In January, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Uganda signed an agreement to build a fully equipped UAE Eye Hospital in the city of Entebbe, valued at $20 million, as part of the UAE Global Hospitals Program, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
WAM described the UAE-Uganda agreement as reflecting the commitment of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to support and enhance health sector services and provide appropriate medical care to patients in Africa, based on his belief in the country’s role as a pioneer in aiding peoples, serving humanity, and actively contributing to the welfare of mankind.
Regarding the hospital, Sheikh Diab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the Presidential Office for Developmental Affairs and Families of Martyrs, Chairman of the International Humanitarian Affairs Council, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed Humanitarian Legacy Foundation, said it reflects the UAE’s humanitarian and civilisational mission, its dedication to developing vital sectors, and enhancing community services, particularly in the health sector worldwide. He noted that healthcare is a priority internationally and a key component of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The UAE Eye Hospital in Uganda is one of the achievements of the UAE Global Hospitals Program under the Zayed Humanitarian Legacy initiative, which aims to build ten specialised hospitals over a decade across various continents.
These hospitals embody the spirit of cooperation and solidarity that has long characterised UAE foreign policy and demonstrate its firm commitment to sustainable development and improving lives globally.
The construction of the hospital in Entebbe reflects the shared commitment of both countries to developing bilateral relations and advancing health development goals.
It also signals new horizons of cooperation in vital sectors, particularly healthcare, through developmental projects that benefit thousands of patients with eye problems.
It is worth noting that Uganda faces unique challenges in providing comprehensive healthcare for over 1.6 million refugees, who reside mainly in camps in the north and southwest of the country, as well as in the capital, Kampala.
Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in Africa, according to a WHO report published in October 2024.
In February of the previous year, the UN Refugee Agency and the World Health Organisation signed an agreement to support the Ugandan government in improving health services for migrants, refugees, and host communities, as part of Uganda’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
