Browsing by Author "Komakech Innocent"

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The curse of league tables: how Uganda missed the point
(Uganda Martyrs University Press, 2005-08) Komakech Innocent
This paper examines the criteria used by the Ministry of Health to determine the performance of the different districts as presented in the annual National Health Sector Performance Report. Using the winner of the 2004/2005, it attempts to analyze the health situation in the district and challenges the reliability of using HSSP input, process and output indicators as a measure of sector performance. The paper proposes that outcome indicators, like health status indicators, are a better measure of sector performance and should be the ones used for rating district performance. It also suggests that process indicators be used for technical forums and not political forums like the National Health Assembly. It ends with a cautionary remark on the likely misinterpretation of process indicators by the general public in districts with poor health status.
The health situation at Awer internally displaced persons' camp - Gulu district, Uganda
(Uganda Martyrs University Press, 2005-04) Komakech Innocent
Uganda's close to 2 decades long conflict has led to a humiliating humanitarian situation in the IDP camps created by the government. A senior UN official, Jan Egeland described the humanitarian situation as 'the worst in the world'. An assessment of the public health situation was done in one of the IDP camps (Awer camp) some 15 km West of Gulu town on the Gulu Adjumani highway from 28th may - 18th June 2004. The findings suggested that the sphere standards for humanitarian interventions were not being adhered to by the humanitarian agencies for all the most basic necessities such as water and sanitation, food, shelter, and health services.
The village health team strategy is a 'most innovative community practice' award winner: the experience of a village volunteer programme in Yumbe district, Uganda.
(Uganda Martyrs University Press, 2007-04) Komakech Innocent
Community participation in health has been an elusive concept since the days of the Alma Ata Declaration. Many faltering steps have been taken towards genuine community participation only to be retraced because the programmes were either ill-conceived or derailed by the loss of the spirit of voluntarism. In Yumbe District of north-western Uganda, Village Health Teams (VHT) have been established in line with the national strategy for community involvement in health. The Yumbe VHT programme has won an award for innovative support to strengthening decentralisation. This paper reviews aspects of the programme outlining its successes and challenges. Its success has been mainly due to integration of pre-existing volunteer cadres, intersectoral approach to the monitoring of the teams and involvement of the community in the selection of the top-up team members. Its challenges include the relatively young age of the majority of the volunteers and the likely loss of financial support for the activities of the volunteers. The paper concludes that the VHT programme is a delicate venture requiring both programme support through intersectoral inputs to the Community Action Plans developed by communities and sociological approaches to educate the communities to support the VHT for its sustainability.