Between 23-27 May, the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) and the European Parliamentary Forum (EPF) brought a delegation of German Parliamentarians from the Bundestag and the European Parliament to Uganda to know first hand the situation of sexual and reproductive rights in the country.

Uganda is one of the countries with the highest population growth in the world. Given the current growth of 3.2%, Uganda's population will double in the next 20 years. Half of the 30 millionen habitants is under 15 and only 3% is over 65 years old. However, the conceptive prevalence rate is only 21% while 41% of the deliveries are not attended by skilled health workers. The health budget accounts for about 10% of the national budget and only 7% of the funds allocated to family planning have been released during the present fiscal year. Parliamentarians had the opportunity to assess the unmet needs in family planning, the insufficient equipment and staffing of public facilities as well as the challenges of accessing primary health care.

The parliamentarians were soon confronted with the paucity of resources in the principal referral hospital, Mulago National Hospital, where an average of 100 women give birth everyday. The lack of personnel and resources deprives access to minimum care for women as many of them may not get to have a free bed during labour. In the past years, out of 28.000 to 30.000 women, between 600 and 800 die every year in the hospital as a result of delivery complications, in line with the national Maternal Mortality Ratio of 550 per 100.000 live births. In the evening, the delegation met representatives of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and was briefed about the private bill that threatens to punish cases of aggravated homosexuality (if the person is HIV positive) with death penalty and 3 years of prison to anyone who, knowing the circumstances, would refuse to denounce it in less that 24 hours.

The second day, Parliamentarians had the opportunity to visit different NGO projects and other public health facilities such as the peer-to-peer educational programmes of DSW. The programme was followed by a meeting with representatives of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) where representatives from different religions carry together family planning and reproductive health projects and agree common advocacy strategies. In Uganda, 43% of the health services are provided by faith-based organisations.

The delegation also visited the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) research facilities as well as the communities of fishermen that take part in the vaccines studies. The fishermen of the Lake Victoria’s islands are an underserved community that has a HIV prevalence rate of 25-28% and an infection rate of 6% annually whereas provision of educational and health services is largely insufficient.
 

The delegation :
Hon. Frank Heinrich, MP (CDU), Hon. Uwe Kekeritz, MP (Greens/Bündnis 90), Hon. Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, MP (CDU), Hon. Norbert Neuser, MEP (S&D Group) as well as the parliamentary assistants Ingo Schiermeyer (Cabinet Norbert Neuser, MEP, SPD) and Jens Schmid (Cabinet Patrick Meinhardt, MP, FDP)