Health implications of war in Uganda and Sudan

ABSTRACT

Civil war disrupted agriculture and trade in Uganda and Sudan. This reduced tax revenues and drained scarce resources away from health budgets to finance increased military expenditures. Hundreds and thousands of people were driven from their homes either as internally displaced people or as refugees. Normal health service delivery systems were broken down forcing doctors; nurses and other health professionals into towns; cities or neighbouring countries in search of peace and employment. Scores of hospitals; health centres and dispensaries were abandoned; destroyed or looted; rendering even the limited physical facilities useless. Preventive public health services such as immunization and provision of potable drinking water were discontinued leaving huge populations susceptible to controllable infectious diseases and epidemics