Explainer: How the Buganda medical insurance scheme will work

Last week, Buganda announced plans to introduce a medical insurance scheme to improve access to quality medical care among its subjects.

The news, broken by Bbeg Media, sparked excitement within and outside the kingdom and triggered several questions on how the scheme will work.

Buganda to start medical insurance scheme for subjects at 150,000 per year

In an interview with Bbeg Media yesterday, Edward Kaggwa Ndagala, the executive director of the Kabaka Foundation, which will oversee the scheme, shared more details.

Here is what you need to know about how the Buganda medical scheme will operate for now.

First, the scheme will start on May 7, 2025, when the kingdom shall begin receiving payments during the Tubere Balamu Health Camp set for Wankulukuku stadium. Buganda is in negotiations with Jubilee Insurance, one of the biggest providers of medical insurance in Uganda to run the scheme. Other insurance firms will also be contracted.  The scheme will run in all 18 counties of Buganda. It is open to all people living within the boundaries of Buganda.

Second, the subjects will have to pay a premium of Shs 165,000 per year to benefit from this scheme. This money will be paid to partner health facilities via K2 Telecom, the kingdom-owned telecommunications firm. The subjects will then be issued with medical insurance cards.

Third, the kingdom will pay hospitals and partnering health facilities Shs 30,000 per night for 15 nights in case a person on the scheme is admitted or for outpatients. This money will cater for bills and upkeep.

In the event of death, the victim’s family will be given Shs 2 million to cater for burial and other residual medical fees.

Some of the partnering health facilities are: Kibuli Hospital, Nsambya Hospital, Lubaga Hospital, Mengo Hospital, Agakhan University Hospital, and Naguru Hospital. Others are: selected private medical facilities and health centres in the different counties of Buganda, and all KCCA health centres in the five city divisions. More health facilities are being enrolled.

Fourth, the scheme will cover the following diseases/conditions: Cancers, Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Hepatitis B, Sickle Cell, Tuberculosis, Trachoma, Heart diseases, Ulcers, Malaria, Hiv/Aids, among other diseases.

Fifth, more than 500 medical personnel have been recruited for the scheme.

Ndagala said the kingdom came up with the scheme after realizing that Kabaka’s subjects were very sick yet poor and therefore needed affordable healthcare.