The increase in expenditure on the prevention of malaria during antenatal care will improve the health of pregnant women. Malaria is the leading cause of death among pregnant women in Uganda, according to the health ministry.

But FOWODE has criticised the budget for putting emphasis on funding central health services and spending less on decentralised services, particularly for primary healthcare. The forum has urged the ministry to free funds for decentralised primary care by cutting back on administrative costs, such as the ministry’s fleet of vehicles.