Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA) in collaboration with Kamuli Network of Non-Government Organizations (KANENGO) held a National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Non-Communicable Diseases for the fourth Phase (NCDs) on 19th November, 2021 at Imperial Royal Hotel, Kampala.
KANENGO) has been implementing a community-based programme on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) since 2015, in partnership with DENIVA, Danish NGO, Hope Denmark with funding from the Danish Civil Society in Development (CISU). The overall impact aimed at in this project, is to improve health of citizens in Kamuli district, Uganda. The programme has been implemented in four phases of one to two years.
In this fourth phase of the project, NCD4, the project aimed at concretizing its achievements by ensuring that government through the national parliament puts in place measures to prioritize NCDs in its policies and programmes. As outlined above, one of its objectives is to ensure that the NCD priorities of the NAs in Kamuli are heard and recognized at National level. There is a need to lobby for NCD policy change at national level. KANENGO aims to work together with the national NGOs, DENIVA, UNCDA, National Commissioner for NCDs and other actors to lobby for an increase in funding for NCDs. Specifically, the planned key activities included:
- Conduct national dialogue meeting
- NCD parliament committee to priorities NDCs in policy and planning
- Present a NCD Petition to Parliament
- Link and follow up with Ministry of Health, the Commissioner for NCDs, NCD Parliamentary committee to ensure that NCDs are prioritized in policy and planning.
Kanengo and DENIVA identified some of the Key challenges that they face in executing results for this project and these include;
- Inadequate knowledge and skills to make change at community level
- NCDs are not yet a funded priority
- Limited NCD awareness and demand for services
- The communities unaware of NCD higher risk in Covid-19
- Communities have no skills to protect and help NCD patients
- The NA priorities differ from the national priorities as determined by the Ministry of Health and Parliament.
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