development assistance had been largely organized through stand-alone projects. This modality of aid delivery was seen as an essential approach to allow flexibility to manoeuvre, quick response, and demonstrable results in key priority health concerns. However, project-based support has been criticised for causing fragmentation of the health system into several sub-systems with differing capacities, delivering different health interventions to different beneficiaries. Concerns for equity, efficiency, and government leadership have since led to the introduction of the sector-wide approach (SWAp) in Uganda. The main objective of the SWAp is to improve the overall performance of the health system and consequently the health status of Uganda’s population. To this end, it aims to coordinate development assistance to the sector and to reduce the administrative burden for government.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and Development Partners (DPs) establishes the overall principles and mechanisms governing the SWAp partnership. The SWAp was officially launched in Uganda with the signing of the MoU for Health Sector Strategic Plan I (2000/01 – 2004/05) in August, 2000. While the MoU was signed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) on behalf of the GoU, and by various development partner agencies, a wider range of stakeholders are actively involved in its implementation. These include the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) and the Ministry of Local Government, and representatives from civil society (e.g. private-not-for-profit health organisations). This is in line with the broad definition of the SWAp in Uganda. The MoU for Health Sector Strategic Plan II (2005/06 – 2009/10) was signed in November 2006.
