By Sampaul Nakhaima
The Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA) on Wednesday August 20, 2025 held a consultative meeting with the medical service providers to deliberate on how to ensure that Ugandans have access to reliable, safe, and quality health services under health insurance arrangement.
The meeting was attended by private medical service providers from Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC), Uganda Healthcare Federation, and the Uganda Private Medical Practitioners’ Association. The consultation followed discontentment by some medical service providers over a new guideline, requiring them to be prequalified by the IRA before offering insurance related services.
The requirement sought to ensure that only qualified and reliable healthcare facilities are included on the panel or list of health insurance providers. The objective is to enhance the quality of healthcare services provided to insurance policyholders.
Speaking at the meeting held at the Insurance Tower, the IRA Chief Executive Officer, Alhaj Kaddunabbi Ibrahim Lubega, said the move to have medical service providers prequalified intended to establish a transparent, fair, and professional system for accrediting medical facilities that partner with insurers. This would enable the public (insurance policyholders), who are clients in the medical facilities receive high quality healthcare services.
“We are not here to compete with, or take over, the mandate of the UMDPC whose statutory role is licensing, professional regulation, and disciplining medical practitioners. This mandate remains central and unquestioned. IRA is proposing complementary service provision to ensure that insurance-supported health facilities deliver value, fairness, and quality to policyholders” Alhaj Kaddunabbi said.
He added: “The initiative is about strengthening collaboration, not creating parallel systems. We believe that by working together, we can address challenges such as fraud, delayed claims settlement, unethical billing, and address the gaps in patient care.”
The UMDPC Chairperson, Prof. Joel Okullo, said there is need to clearly define roles of each institution but also outline clear intersections when it comes to service delivery. He noted that the issue at hand is not about duplication of services but looking for ways of working together to serve the public.
The medical insurance sector is growing rapidly with the gross written premiums rising from Ugx. 107 billion in 2014 to over Ugx. 402 billion in 2024.
Alhaj Kaddunabbi noted that while this growth signals trust in private health insurance, it also presents challenges such as rising claims – some driven by fraud and abuse, inconsistencies in billing practices, and instances where patients feel cheated.
By prequalifying facilities, the insurance sector regulator hopes to build a trusted network of providers that insurers and the public can rely on.