How DHOs, MPs, and RDCs can collaborate to safeguard medicines

Uganda’s public health system works best when technical leadership, political representation, and administrative oversight function in harmony.

At the district level, this triangle is formed by District Health Officers (DHOs), Members of Parliament (MPs), and Resident District Commissioners (RDCs). Each of these leaders plays a unique role. But when it comes to ensuring medicine availability, preventing theft, and building public trust, their roles are interconnected—and collaboration is essential.

Knowledge

As chief health advisors at the district level, DHOs oversee medicine requisition, facility supervision, and stock management. They also compile data on medicine usage and identify trends such as frequent stockouts, high patient loads, or facilities with recurrent gaps. Yet technical data alone is not enough.

To act on that data effectively, DHOs need support from MPs and RDCs, who can amplify concerns, demand accountability, and mobilize the public. Members of parliament, as constituency representatives, are directly connected to the people who use public health facilities.

They are often the first to hear complaints about missing drugs, charges for Mama Kits, or unexplained shortages. MPs can use this feedback to engage DHOs directly, request explanations, and even table district-level concerns in parliament. They can also support community awareness campaigns by informing citizens of their medicine entitlements and encouraging responsible service delivery.

When MPs work closely with DHOs, they add political weight to technical problems—and help secure medicines.

The author is a health mobiliser in Gulu