National Networks
NATIONAL Self-Care
networks
SELF-CARE EXPERT GROUP UGANDA
Established as the national self-care network for Uganda in 2019, the Self-Care Expert Group (SCEG) has been instrumental in the development, adoption, and piloting of Uganda’s national self-care guidelines. Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) is the advocacy lead for the network, which is led by the Ministry of Health. PSI provides technical support and convenes the network.
OUR
PRESENCE
Across SCTG focus countries, our National Self-Care Networks (NSN) lead a consultative process
to define a coordinated advocacy strategy for self-care, which includes, but is not limited to:
- Development of consolidated national self-care guidelines or integrating principles and practices of self-care into existing policies/guidelines.
- Engage target policymakers and influencers in supporting self-care and instituting self-care policies and financing at national and subnational levels.
- Increasing demand and accountability for self-care among target communities and constituencies, particularly engagement with broader advocacy opportunities for family planning, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and bodily autonomy.
About
CEHURD
Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization founded in 2010 that is pioneering the justiciability of the right to health. CEHURD focuses its efforts on critical issues of human rights and health systems in East Africa, such as sexual and reproductive health rights, trade and health, and medical ethics, which affect the vulnerable and less-advantaged populations such as women, children, orphans, sexual minorities, people living with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, refugee populations, and victims of violence, torture, disasters, and conflict. Their mission is to advance health rights for vulnerable communities through an integrated program of litigation, advocacy, and action research.
WRA Nigeria is advocating for the Government of Nigeria to strengthen accountability processes at all levels of the maternal, newborn, and child health system to incorporate citizen’s self-articulated needs in all decisions and actions concerning their health to inform and improve the quality of services provided.
Key
Achievements
The Uganda MOH in collaboration with the SCEG piloted the National Self-Care Guideline in Mukono District in 2021. The pilot was a success and engaged village health teams, healthcare workers, religious and cultural leaders. This opportunity was also used to share information on self-care with young people and empower them to advocate for self-care interventions. The lessons learned from the pilot informed revisions to the guidelines and mobilization of support for scale-up of self-care interventions.
Self-care included in the Uganda Clinical Guidelines and National Essential Medicines List in 2023; to date, self-care has been adopted in 7 national policies and frameworks.
The Director of Curative Services, MOH has committed to include self-care in the Health Workers’ National Curriculum through collaboration with the SCEG. Policy makers have also pledged government funding for the implementation of the SRH Self-Care National Guideline, critical for meeting Uganda’s goal to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030.
CEHURD spearheaded the East African Sexual Reproductive Health Bill, which includes progressive sections on accessibility to self-care services. The bill went through public hearings in partner states and was read at the East African Legislative Assembly in June 2023. This is an important policy win for the region.
