Health commission to replace dead, retired health workers

By Francis Emorut                            

KAMPALA - The chairman of the Health Service Commission, Prof. Pius Okong, has said the commission is set to replace over 800 health workers who have reached the retirement age of 60 and those who have died, by January 2015.

The category of health workers his agency will replace include doctors (specialists and non-specialists), consultants, laboratory specialists, orthopedics, nurses and support staff (askaris/guards, cleaners and porters).

The chairman said the commission will place adverts in the media to attract potential health workers especially for remote areas.

Recruits, he said, will be placed in regional referral and national hospitals across the country.

Okong was briefing the media on the sidelines of a dinner hosted to honour the outgoing permanent secretary of the commission, Francis Xavier Lubanga at Silver Springs Hotel in Kampala on Friday.

He said the country has about 38,000 health workers, who are not adequate to serve the 34 million people in the country. And because of that deficiency in numbers, Okong reasoned that close to 60,000 personnel would be appropriate to provide health services in the country.

The commission’s boss noted that they cannot embark on massive recruitment of health workers without first getting permission from the ministry of finance to give them a go-ahead.

“The challenge we have is that it’s difficult to fill in the gaps because we have to get permission from the ministry of finance."

He told guests that the government has helped the commission to acquire land in Butabika, a Kampala suburb, to build its own premises.
 

Here, Prof. Okong hands over a plague to the outgoing PS Francis Lubanga and his wife Mary Lubanga as the  head of public service and secretary to the Cabinet John Mitala looks on. (Photo credit: Francis Emorut)

'Late-coming must stop'

Meanwhile, the departing PS Lubanga stressed the need to strengthen the working relations between the commission and ministry of health to provide better health care system to citizens of the country.

“We need to induce greater harmony between the ministry of health headquarters and the Health Service Commission for better service delivery."

Lubanga, who has served the commission for a short period -- since July 2013 -- is bowing out due to health-related issues.

The former permanent secretary of ministry of education who has worked in the public service for 45 years was awarded a plaque for dedicated service to the commission.

The head of public service and secretary to the Cabinet, John Mitala implored health workers to always keep time.

“If Africa is to develop, there must be discipline in time keeping. That practice of coming late must stop,” Mitala said.

The commission staff security guard Richard Bufunyu and office attendant Rita Ayeet were rewarded with gifts for their commitment to service and for having high sense of responsibility.