The great American statesman Benjamin Franklin once famously said that nothing in this world can be certain except death and taxes. He couldn’t have been more spot on, because death and taxes are still very much a fact of life today, some two centuries after his demise. But the great Founding Father may have overlooked one other of life’s unfortunate certainties — illness.
Despite our best efforts to prevent disease, we all get sick sometimes. At times, illness comes at the most inconvenient of times from a financial perspective, robbing us of peace of mind. Getting a solid health insurance cover is one of the best ways to plan for these contingencies. But with premiums for a good insurance health plans costing north of 3,000,000/= per person per year, traditional health insurance is not an option for everyone in Uganda.
It’s also a fact that most health insurance companies in Uganda insist that customers pay the premiums in one big installment, once a year, sidelining many low-income earners. To get good quality treatment when you’re sick, you may therefore need a cost-effective alternative to maintain your health without breaking the bank. Read on to discover five low-cost alternatives to health insurance, and also be sure to check out our analysis on why some individual rarely get ill at all.
1: Make Good Use of Available Healthcare Benefits From Relatives and Workplaces
In Uganda today, health insurance is out of reach for most apart from the wealthiest and those individauls who have coverage through their work. Some health insurance plans, however, provide coverage not only for the principal person, but for other secondary beneficiaries as well. Such beneficiaries may include some family members, dependents and even friends.
Do you have a close relative who’s covered by some form of health insurance? It may be prudent to ask if a relative’s health insurance can cover you as well when you’re sick. This way, you may be able to access good quality health care without paying a coin. However, be careful not to indulge in fraudulent use of health insurance as this may be unethical at best and illegal as worst.
In addition to your relatives, you may also qualify for health insurance coverage through your workplace’s group coverage for employees. Be sure to check with your employer to see if you are eligible for coverage through your work. Apart from health insurance, some workplaces also provide some health care benefits that may include:
- Free vaccines for diseases such as Covid-19, Malaria, Hepatitis and Tetanus
- Free annual medical check-ups
2: Benefit From Free Government Health Care Programs
Health insuracne is arguably the most effective way to access emergency healthcare without incurring a lot of out-of-pocket expenses. But practically, for most adults, getting insurance cover through a friend or relative is not feasible. That’s why it’s prudent the look out for alternative healthcare options from the government. The Ugandan government offers some free health care benefits that are available for all people available in the country. Some of the most popular government health care schemes include the following:
- Village health team services
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- Operated by government-trained volunteers, village health team s(VHT) usually offer a number of free health care services. Village health teams may have in their possession basic medications and vitamins for such malaria, coughs, deworming and diarrhea.
- These VHT members are spread out in most villages, and chances are that there is a VHT team member within a walking distance of your home. In addition to providing free medicines especially for children and pregnant women, these village health team members sometimes provide the following services:
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- Free mosquito nets
- Free vaccination programs for children
- Free diagnostic and awareness campaigns for conditions such as cervical cancer
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- Government health centers
- The government has a variety of health centers that provide free treatment in various places in the country. The services available at these health centers vary depending on the size of the center. While government Health Center IV units usually have advanced services, including maternity wings and inpatient departments, Health Center II units may be limited to dispensing medicines for outpatients and offering basic diagnosis and treatment.
- Keep in mind that while services in government health centers are supposed to be free, you may need to pay small fees to access some medicines and specific advanced services
- Government referral hospitals
- There are government has referral hospitals in most districts in the country, with each hospital catering to the needs of the local communities. Unlike government health centers, referral hospitals are intended to handle more complex conditions.
- These referral hospitals dispense free medicines, although you may need to buy more advanced medicines from pharmacies when undergoing treatment at most government referrals.
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Granted, the quality of healthcare in some of these government health centers and hospitals pales in comparison with that in private healthcare facilities, but it is better than the misery of being stranded without access to healthcare at a critical time. Also, some government referrals are usually well-equipped, and it’s not unusual for some private hospitals to refer some of the most complicated cases to these government hospitals.
3: Seek Out Free Healthcare Camps and Medical Studies
Hospitals occasionally run healthcare camps where they offer a variety of free medical services. Such camps, which usually take place either at the hospital premises or in another public place. These camps may run for a few days or for as long as two weeks at a time.
These camps usually let the public get free consultation with medical providers. At some camps, hospitals may also offer free disease diagnostic services. Other camps offer free treatment and free surgery for conditions ranging from cataracts and hernias to some cancers. To find hospitals that are planning free healthcare camps, keep tabs on announcements in newspapers, radios and TVs. Acquaintances that work for a hospitals may also update you when there’s an upcoming free healthcare camp.
Aside from these health care plans, some hospitals occasionally run studies. These studies, which are sometimes conducted in conjunction with universities, and usually enrol free participants. In some cases, the organizers of the study may offer free diagnosis and treatment for various conditions as part of the study. Just like healthcare camps, you may need to pay attention to ads in newspapers, radio and TV to find out about currently running healthcare studies.
4: Get a Healthcare Financing Solution in Uganda
Mobile telecom providers and financial institutions have healthcare financing plans which encourage subscribers to make savings intended to help you during a health care crisis. These plans enable you to stash away some money that you can access later to cover a hospital bill.
- clinicPesa
- clinicPesa is perhaps the most widely know healthcare financing solution in Uganda. This service, which is run by MTN, requires you to use a mobile app to start saving up for health care. Under this service, you can save as little as 500/= and as high as 20 million shillings. You also get to earn interest of up to 5% annually on their accumulated savings.
- Note that clinicPesa puts a 12-month waiting period on users to qualify for withdrawing savings. In addition to helping you cover your hospital bill, the clinicPesa service also allows users to take out a loan of up to 3 million shilling to take care of hospital bills when needed. There is also a dedicated plan for expectant mothers to save up in anticipation of childbirth. There are many healthcare facilities in Uganda that accept Clinic Pesa payments countrywide, so you always have options in case of emergency health issues.
5: Buy Affordable Mobile Insurance
Ultimately, medical insurance is one of the most effective solutions for affordable healthcare. However, the fact that most Ugandans can’t afford traditional health insurance is well documented. The telecom giants MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda are providing affordable alternatives to the more high-cost options from traditional health insurance companies. Crucially, these plans also enable users to pay premiums monthly instead of the annual advance payments typically demanded by the likes of AAR, Prudential and ICEA.
- MTN aYo Insurance
- A brainchild of MTN and aYo Holdings, this insurance scheme redefined budget insurance when it was launched in back in 2017. This service, which includes a hospital and life insurance cover deducts airtime from your MTN account monthly to pay for the premiums.
- MTN aYo has set the premium deductions to as low as 100/= per month, giving you cover of up to 90,000/= for illness-related hospitalization or 120,000/= for accident-related admissions. Many aYo subscribers love the fact that the service is automatic and doesn’t require their conscious efforts, as long as the simcard has some available airtime on it on a monthly basis.
- Recently, MTN has made is possible for users to pay aYo insurance through the company’s Senkyu loyalty program.
- Airtel Ddwaliro Care
- The Airtel Ddwaliro care service is run by Airtel in conjunction with AAR Healthcare Insurance and Blue Wave Insurance Agency. Like MTN aYo, Ddwaliro care lets you pay monthly premiums, although this Airtel service requires you to use Airtel Money instead of airtime to remit the premiums.
- With monthly premiums in the 5,000/= to 18,000/ range, Ddwaliro Care targets individuals with a slightly bigger budget that the MTN service. The airtel healthcare service also offers more robust insurance coverage, with an annual coverage limit ranging from 750,000 to 5 million shilling depending on the premiums paid. It also covers funeral costs for up to 2 million shillings per person.
- Airtel Hospital Sente
- In addition to Ddwaliro care, Airtel Uganda also has another healthcare insurance trick up its sleeve — Hospital Sente. Offered through a partnership between Airtel Uganda and Prudential Uganda and Turaco Insurance Brokers, this service is somewhat similar to a traditional health insurance plan. The premiums are charged monthly, though. You can pay premiums ranging 1,000/= to 5,000/= per month via Airtel Money.
- Like the MTN aYo service, Airtel Hospital Sente is focused on helping you in case of hospital admission. These payments entitle users to coverage in the range of up to 40,000/= to 100,000/= per night. Hospital Sente also includes funeral cover to the tune of up to 4 million shillings per person. Airtel has made great efforts to promote this service, and you may even get a free month’s worth of coverage when you subscribe for the first time.
As many studies and anecdotal evidence reveal, there’s a direct correlation between poverty and poor health in Uganda. But you don’t have to let financial difficulties to force you to compromise on healthcare. While traditional health insurance is not affordable for the big majority of Ugandans, there are low-cost and sometimes free alternatives that can help you get quality healthcare without breaking the bank in Uganda.
By making good use of government programs, looking out for free medical camps and utilizing health insurance plans from friends and families, you can get quality care free of charge. The mobile telephone giants MTN and Airtel have also put in place affordable initiatives such as mobile insurance and healthcare financing and loans, giving you low-cost healthcare options.
