Uganda's health sector stands to benefit significantly from strengthening evidence-based planning by drawing lessons from India's latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), the High Commissioner of India to Uganda, Upender Singh Rawat, has said.
Speaking in Kampala, Rawat underscored the importance of reliable and comprehensive health data in shaping effective public health interventions, noting that India's experience offers a practical model for countries seeking to improve health outcomes through informed policymaking.
India recently unveiled findings from the sixth edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), conducted between 2023 and 2024 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The nationwide survey provides extensive data on key health indicators, including maternal and child health, nutrition, fertility rates, immunisation coverage, non-communicable diseases and overall family welfare.
The report is expected to play a central role in guiding health policies and strengthening service delivery across India by enabling authorities to identify gaps, allocate resources more efficiently and implement targeted interventions.
Rawat said Uganda could draw valuable lessons from India's approach by investing in regular nationwide health surveys to generate accurate and up-to-date data. He emphasised that reliable data is essential for evidence-based planning, effective resource allocation and sound policy formulation.
According to the High Commissioner, adopting a data-driven approach would strengthen Uganda's efforts to address key health priorities, including reducing maternal and infant mortality, improving immunisation coverage, combating malnutrition and reinforcing primary healthcare systems.
Health experts have echoed this view, saying regular national health surveys enable governments to monitor progress over time, identify service delivery gaps and design targeted interventions that produce measurable improvements in public health.
They also noted that robust health data systems are critical to accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those relating to health and well-being.
As Uganda continues to pursue reforms in the health sector, stakeholders say embracing comprehensive, evidence-based planning frameworks similar to India's NFHS model could enhance decision-making, improve the efficiency of public health programmes and deliver better health outcomes for millions of citizens.
