Uganda: Call for better pay and staffing in health sector takes centre stage again

Motivation of health workers has been cited as a key factor in improving health service delivery in Uganda.

Butaleja District Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Florence Nebanda said that there is need to consider better renumeration packages for health care workers adding that the country is losing medical specialist through brain drain “Whenever we have challenges here [Uganda], we make referrals to Kenyan hospitals but when you get there, you find most of our specialists there,”  Nebanda said.

She added that several regional referral hospitals have key equipment to support major medical procedures but lack or have few specialists to operate them.

“Last financial year, the Health Minister said there was no money for recruitment but promised something this financial year. As the committee, we should put a lot of effort on this,” Nebanda added.

Obongi County MP, Hon. George Bhoka Didi noted that the human resource for health service in the Karamoja sub-region were appalling, especially at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital.

He alluded to youths from the region who have been trained in health care but have not yet been employed in the sector.

“Many of them have qualified and are volunteering in Abim, Kotido, Kaabong and Moroto Districts, without accessing the payroll. We need to know why the Health Service Commission has failed to recruit and deploy these sons and daughters of Karamoja, who are itching to serve their people,” said Dr. Bhoka.

The Principal Hospital Administrator at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Michael Odur said Shs1.7 billion is required to fill vacant positions of specialists.

He added that the hospital also requires additional funding to establish accommodation facilities for its staff.

“The hospital has very limited staff accommodation with less than 17 per cent of the staff accommodated and this affects timely service delivery. We request that we are allocated Shs4 billion to put up a 16-unit storeyed staff house,” Odur said.

Moroto Regional Referral Hospital Director, Dr. Stephen Pande said the hospital is staffed at 23 per cent, highlighting severe staff shortages in various departments, with Shs2.051 billion required to address the gap.

Amid the concerns of limited resources to cater for human resource raised by the hospital directors, MPs raised the need for quality health services including customer care, to be provided by the available staff.

“I want to urge the hospital directors to ensure customer care in our health facilities. If it means having a CME [Continuing Medical Education] every two weeks, let us do it. Our patients must experience good reception in these facilities,” said Hon. Joseph Ruyonga, the Chairperson of the Health Committee.

“All the issues we see happening in hospitals are due to poor customer care. When patients are referred to the regional referrals, they are sometimes received by cleaners or security officers who have no skill in customer care. This should be addressed,” added Hon. Elisa Rutahigwa (NRM, Rukungiri Municipality).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.