Developing a policy to support Family carer givers in Uganda

Description of impact

Dr Montgomery was Principal Investigator on a QUB-Ugandan led DfE-GCRF funded Award (2020-2021) called, ‘An exploration of the roles, responsibilities and support needs of Ugandan carers of chronic non-communicable disease patients; a qualitative study’. Academic partners from Uganda and QUB, collaborated with NGOs to undertake a qualitative exploratory study design in two regions of Uganda (Kampala and Kyotera). The findings identified the vital role played by carers and the urgent need to address carer burden and to foster a responsive Health System for carer support, thus addressing the SDG goal of promoting sustainable health and wellbeing in Uganda. The findings were shared with the Ugandan Government Ministry of Health who requested that we co-produce a government policy on supporting carers based. This will be the first such policy in Uganda.

Who is affected

The beneficiaries of the first Ugandan policy on supporting the needs of family caregivers in Uganda, will be the population of patients and family-carers in Uganda along with NGOs who will be facilitated to offer more
more targeted and focused interventions for patients and their carers

Narrative

Aiming to improve the quality of life of its citizens, Uganda has progressed its policy framework, with a particular emphasis in population health. Uganda has signed and integrated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the National Development framework. The Ministry of Health for Uganda have a vision of improving population health, and reducing vulnerability and gender inequality across the life course. However, despite the existence of the policy framework and its consolidation of SDGs, the role of family carers, who are critical in the care process for people suffering from NCDs, and who are most often female and vulnerable to intersectional inequalities, is yet to be integrated into policy. The findings from the original research on which Dr Montgomery was Principal Investigator, concluded that it was essential that developments in research, policy and practice in relation to family caregiving are prioritised to maintain the stability of the healthcare system in Uganda. Dr Montgomery along with two Ugandan colleagues Dr Cyprian Misinde, Makerere University, Kampala and Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga, Vice- Chancellor, Clarke University International, Kampala, were invited to present to the MoH committee and were subsequently invited to produce the first draft of a Ugandan carer’s policy. In response Dr Montgomery successfully obtained funding through the Queen’s University ESRC IAA (2022) and set up a working group to utilize recommendations from the initial carers’ research to form a first draft of a carer’s policy in Uganda. The final version of the policy will be collaboratively and iteratively developed by establishing a small policy working group with members of MoH, Queen’s University, Belfast. Makerere University Clarke University International, Kampala.

Impact status	Ongoing
Category of impact	Societial Impact
Impact level	Engagement