Prossy Namyalo Wins the 2022 IDRC Award

Prossy Namyalo, a PhD student in IHPME’s Health Systems Research (HSR) program, recently won the 2022 International Development Research Centre (IDRC) award for her project ‘The Path Towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Uganda: An Evaluation of the Free Healthcare Policy in Public Healthcare Facilities in Uganda.’

“I was thrilled to hear the wonderful news that Prossy had won the IDRC award,” said Professor Beverley Essue, one of Prossy’s supervisors. “Prossy’s doctoral research will develop a better understanding of the extent to which the free health care policy in Uganda is contributing to progress towards Universal Health Coverage and offers one of the first evaluations of this policy for the country. She has a deep and demonstrated commitment to improving access to healthcare for the vulnerable in Uganda as well as to developing local evidence that can contribute to strengthening health systems in the region. This award supports crucial field work and will be key to enabling Prossy’s success.”

I’m deeply honored to be among the 24 2022 IDRC- IDRA recipients. I badly needed it because I had to travel to Uganda for field data collection but had no funds. These funds will contribute to my working within the initially set timelines for my studies. I thank my supervisors for their support, and I remember when I found out they were the first people I shared the great news with. Using a mixed methods approach with an equity and human rights perspective, my study has potential and presents a significant step towards ensuring that health rights are amplified especially in contexts that implement free healthcare policies.”

~ Prossy Namyalo

About the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) award

According to Universities Canada’s statement, the award is funded “by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and administered by Universities Canada, the IDRA supports the development of research skills in Canada and the Global South, to improve the lives of people in the developing world. The objective of the IDRA program is to strengthen the capacities of emerging researchers at Canadian universities, growing the cohort of researchers able to design, lead and carry out high quality research that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.”

See the full list of 2022 IDRC award recipients.