Uganda Losing Shs4Trn Annually As A Result Of Lack Of Attention To WASH- Health Ministry

The Ministry of Health revealed that the lack of access to proper Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities is costing Uganda over Shs4Trn annually, which cost could be avoided through proper investment in the water and sanitation sectors.

The revelation was made by Dr. Herbert Nabaasa, (Commissioner Health Services, Environmental Health) at the Ministry of Health, during a meeting held by the Parliamentary Forum on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, with Speaker Among last week. 

Dr. Nabaasa further detailed the unquantifiable cost lack of access to clean water and sanitation is costing Uganda noting, “We are talking about the under 5years mortality where you have about 20,000 children dying every year due to diarrhea, we are talking about malaria as a result of WASH. Malaria is a WASH problem because of the bushes, breeding sites, vectors that breed as a result of poor WASH intervention, we are talking about losing 33 children every day”.

“The recent report of the study that we did is that we are losing UGX4Trn every year as a result of lack of attention to WASH; access to safe water, access to sanitation and hygiene. We are talking about communities that are grappling to manage their health because of so much expenditure. So the money doesn’t get lost in communities but also the State loses a lot of money by investing in treatment. The money we spend in terms of treating disease, the money we spend in terms of health infrastructure is a lot,” explained Dr. Nabaasa.

Ismael Mulindwa (Director Basic and Secondary Education), at the Ministry of Education revealed that although the Ministry of Education, is in charge of 14 million learners who deserve to be provided for water and sanitation facilities, but their stay in school is threatened by lack of access to water and sanitation. “It is very disheartening to hear that 71 learners, all converge at one point to answer to the call of nature and of course it results into diseases and we are worried that we are being invaded by so many health issues, so when it finds such kind of congestion, definitely the answer is clearly written on the wall. We have only 53% schools with safe drinking water, meaning that 47% don’t have safe water. That is a very big issue as far as the health of those learners is concerned,” noted Mulindwa.

“I don’t want us to continue lamenting, what are we doing? As the Ministry of Education, if you find that an institution doesn’t have safe drinking water close that institution because it is about the lives of our children. We need safe drinking water for these learners. If you find the toilets aren’t sufficient enough for all the children that are there, take an action. And just as the MPs who do their oversight role, but in the process of doing our oversight role, we must be seen to do what is correct and promote WASH,” said Speaker Among.