Buganda Kingdom, Jubilee Insurance unveil low-cost health insurance drive

Jubilee Life Insurance Uganda and the Buganda Kingdom on Tuesday launched a partnership that is hoped to increase insurance awareness and expand access to affordable health cover through Tubeere Balamu Yinsuwa.

The launch took place at Bulange, Mengo and brought together the Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, clan leaders and other kingdom administrators, who also received training on how the scheme will be rolled out in communities.

The product is aimed at extending access to affordable health insurance to ordinary uninsured people in Buganda.

Speaking at the event, Mayiga said the insurance scheme fits within Buganda’s wider efforts to improve health and quality of life among its people.

He added that the kingdom’s Ministry of Health and Kabaka Foundation have already been active in community health work through health camps and related programmes.

“The aim of this free medication is for people to get treatment and be healthy so that they can do quality work and develop themselves,” he said.

Mayiga said health insurance was an important step because many families struggle to meet the cost of proper healthcare.

“But as you know, without money, there cannot be proper healthcare,” he said.

Mayiga said the success of the programme would depend on how well kingdom leaders understand it and pass that knowledge to the people they lead.

“But for it to permeate our communities better, we must sensitise all the kingdom leaders at all levels. They in return must teach the people they lead about the importance of insurance, so that the message reaches all counties and in every family in Buganda and later to other parts of the country.”

He urged the leaders attending the event to ask questions and fully understand the scheme so that they can explain it clearly during implementation.

Jubilee Insurance Uganda chief executive officer Eugine Mutekhele said the package was created with ordinary people in mind.

“The product is designed for the everyday person. It is affordable, practical, and focused on the real health problems people face each day,” Mutekhele said.

For an annual payment of Shs 198,000, members will be able to access treatment for common illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and respiratory infections under both inpatient and outpatient cover. The package also includes support during hospital stays and financial protection in cases of death, disability or serious illness.

Mutekhele said the partnership would also help address low insurance uptake in Uganda.

“The insurance penetration is still very low, below 1%,” he said. “This partnership will help us demystify that.”

Kabaka Foundation chief executive director Edward Kaggwa Ndagala said many existing insurance packages remain too expensive for ordinary people.

“The insurance packages we have in the country range from Shs 800000 and upward which is expensive for the people of Buganda,” Ndagala said.

“This product is only Shs 198000 a year which will save the people down there to get access to health services,” he added.

The event ended with renewed calls for community sensitisation as Buganda Kingdom and Jubilee Life Insurance Uganda begin the rollout of the scheme across the kingdom.