National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has said the health sector should be given more attention in the 2023/2024 national budget.
Kyagulanyi made the call on Friday at the launch of opposition leadership in Parliament's alternative budget proposals for the financial year 2023/2024.
According to the opposition leadership, the alternative budget is based on the theme "Rethinking Uganda's Economy: A Human Rights Approach to Resource Allocation."
Speaking at the launch, Kyagulanyi said health, education and socila programs have to be prioritised in the next budget, for the purposes of increasing productivity especially among ordinary Ugandans.
"We must invest in healthcare to ensure that every Ugandan has access to quality and affordable healthcare services, for the purpose of increasing their productivity. Our health workers and teachers must be paid better," he said.
Still on healthcare, Kyagulanyi expressed dissapointment in delay to sign into law, the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill despite the bill having been passed by Parliament last year in June.
"We do not have a national health insurance scheme in place. The available health insurance plans are almost all private schemes. And yet even then, they cover less than 2% of the population!" he stressed.
The NUP leader further called for increase in funding to the health sector rather than relying on development partners.
"It's a shame that 61 years after independence, we still rely on development partners to meet 41% of our health expenditures! The government caters for only 16% and leaves the bigger burden to the ordinary citizen!"
Meanwhile, the NUP president called for more focus on creating a conducive environment especially for small and medium-sized businesses for business growth and job creation.
He said this can be attainable through deliberate investments in infrastructure including roads, railways, and the energy sector.
"We must reduce the burden of taxes and regulations on small and medium-sized businesses. Otherwise, no one should expect a peaceful country, where young people are unemployed and hopeless," Kyagulanyi said.
He added, "We must ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to succeed. This means investing in social protection programs, such as universal healthcare and social security.
