Gov't to recruit counselors in all health facilities

Apr 10, 2014

Government is set to recruit professional mental counselors for all health facilities across the country.

By Innocent Anguyo

In a bid to stem the growing cases of mental health disorders, the government is set to recruit professional mental counselors for all health facilities across the country.


Ministry of Health has written to the Ministry of public service, requesting for the job description, terms of service, academic qualification and salary scale of counselors to be developed, according to Dr Jackson Amone, the assistant commissioner, integrated curative services.

“We are trying to establish the position of counselors at all health facilities. We are waiting for the public service to develop the requirements for the job,” Amone said.

He was representing Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye, the minister of state for health and general duties who was supposed to preside over an ongoing counselors’ conference, held at the School of Food Science and Technology.

Amone said although there are already counselors in many health facilities especially in the area if HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, most of them were not recruited for the purpose but undertake it as an additional task.

In the speech read by Amone, Tuwmesigye said government recognized the importance of counseling services to Uganda on grounds that it enables people to live a healthy life and work more productively.

“We need people who have the right skills and attitude to reach out to the population to enhance their livelihood. Counseling is necessary for the normal functioning of individuals and institutions,” Tumwesigye said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report on mental health policy and service provision 2010, mental health units that were built at regional referral hospitals were manned by psychiatric clinical officers.

 

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