ABSTRACT
November 2015 saw the first World Health Organisation (WHO) Patients for Patient Safety (PFPS) country workshop in Uganda. Uganda has diverse ethnic and social groupings, with a wide range of customary laws and practices, which may influence their healthcare-seeking behaviour. Village health teams, also referred to as community or lay health workers, are part of the Ministry of Health service provision structure in Uganda. Low health literacy may adversely affect the ability of patients to actively participate in decisions about their care. Effective communication between the health worker and patient is vital to the diagnostic and therapeutic process. Healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and midwives are regulated by professional bodies and councils, which are established by statute. Patients and the public should have greater awareness of the Uganda Human Rights Commission and its role in monitoring the government's adherence to international treaties concerning health rights.
