1. Alleviating Hospital Congestion: hospitals are stretched beyond capacity, leading to overcrowding and delays. Home care nurses handle routine tasks—medication administration, symptom monitoring, wound care—reducing patient loads and freeing hospital resources for acute cases. For instance, a cancer patient receiving chemotherapy at home can avoid daily UCI visits, easing congestion and allowing staff to focus on surgical or radiotherapy patients. This is critical as 41% of patients miss appointments due to long wait times, exacerbating disease progression.

2. Bridging Rural Access Gaps: With 85% of Uganda’s population in rural areas, accessing centralized facilities is a major barrier. High travel costs, poor infrastructure, and accommodation challenges lead to 30% treatment abandonment. Home care nurses travel to remote homes, delivering care where patients live, ensuring continuity for those unable to reach Kampala. For example, a diabetic patient in Lira can receive insulin and monitoring at home, reducing the need for costly trips. This accessibility is vital to address the 35% of patients who delay treatment due to logistical barriers.

3.  Addressing Poor HRQoL and Symptom Burden: NCDs cause significant physical and emotional suffering, with patients experiencing pain, fatigue, and facing emotional distress. Hospital-based care often fails to manage these symptoms due to time constraints and staff shortages. Home care nurses provide personalized, continuous care, tailoring interventions like pain management or fatigue reduction to individual needs, significantly improving HRQoL. For late-stage patients, palliative care at home ensures dignity and comfort.

4. Cost-Effectiveness for Patients and Society: NCD treatment is prohibitively expensive, Home care nursing minimizes expenses for travel, hospital accommodation, and prolonged hospital stays, enabling families to maintain livelihoods. By preventing complications through proactive care, nurses reduce the need for costly emergency interventions, mitigating poverty. This is crucial in a country where out-of-pocket health spending drives families into financial distress 

5. Supporting Chronic Disease Management: NCDs require long-term, consistent care, which hospitals are ill-equipped to provide due to acute care priorities. Home care nurses offer ongoing monitoring, medication adherence, and lifestyle guidance, critical for conditions like diabetes or hypertension where non-compliance leads to severe outcomes (e.g., stroke, amputation).

6. Disparities exacerbate NCD inequities,Home care nursing democratizes access by bringing services to underserved communities, This is particularly impactful for women, who face higher cervical cancer rates, and rural elderly patients with limited mobility.

7. Preventing Treatment Abandonment and Improving Adherence: The 30% treatment abandonment rate and 41% missed appointments highlight the need for accessible care. Home care nurses ensure patients adhere to treatment plans by delivering medications and monitoring progress, reducing the risk of disease progression. For instance, a cancer patient receiving home-based palliative care is more likely to continue treatment than one facing repeated hospital trips.

The urgency is underscored by the projected rise in NCDs, with cancer cases potentially doubling by 2030. Without home care nursing, hospitals will face even greater strain, patients will endure untreated symptoms, and families will struggle under caregiving pressures. By shifting routine care to homes, this model ensures sustainable, compassionate care, aligning with global calls for integrated NCD management.