The Uganda Allied Health Examinations Board (UAHEB) is seeking shillings 1.5 billion to train examiners.

The funding gap forms part of the entity’s ministerial policy statement for the 2024/25 Financial Year (FY) which entity executive secretary Joshua Agondua submitted on April 9, 2024, to the education committee chaired by John Twesigye Ntamuhiira (Bunyaruguru county, NRM).

UAHEB was established by the Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) Act 2008 to streamline , regulate and co-ordinate examinations and awards in allied health profession in Uganda. It is composed of 13 members drawn from the constituencies involved in health training, stakeholders and professionals.

Speaking on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, UAHEB accountant Khamir Abdallah said the funds are to be used to impart new skills to examiners, many of whom are of advanced age.

Apparently, the entity boasts of 2,000 examiners who double as staff in hospitals.

“Examination management has changed the way we used to examine students 10 years back. We need to retool practical examiners and we don’t have resources to train them. Some have left the profession, others have retired, we need to train new ones and to retrain,” he explained.

“The backlog we have had because of Covid and an increase in the number of candidates from the current 22,000. So, we need extra workforce. We are currently operating at 52%; we need to increase to at least 70%,” Abdullah added.

Relatedly, UAHEB also plans to recruit 10 critical staff in the departments of examination and management.

During this half year, UAHEB has conducted two series of examinations and released 5,058 candidates into the labor force.

Abdullah, however, contends that the subvention they currently receive amounts to shillings 5.2 billion which he wants elevated to shillings 12.6 billion.

During the forthcoming year, the entity hopes to generate shillings nine billion in non-tax revenue (NTR). This will, however, be dependent on an increase in students and allied health institutions.

UNMEB

During the same sitting on Tuesday, lawmakers heard that the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Board (UNMEB) is seeking shillings 42.83 billion in the forthcoming fiscal year to cater for unfunded priorities.

In FY2023/24, the entity had an approved budget of shillings 36.56 billion. By half year, the body had examined 53,602 students in 113 centres countrywide.

UNMEBs projected budget for 2024/25 Financial Year (FY) stands at shillings 33.174 billion. This is expected to be funded by a Government subvention on recurrent expenditure of shillings 13.174 billion and non-tax revenue (NTR) of shillings 20 billion.

However, the entity’s manager in charge of finance and administration, George Ndiwalana, contends that this is a drop in the ocean considering the increasing number of students.

“We are unable to supervise students who are at clinical placement sites due to unavailability of funding. There are gaps which are there and we feel, it's high time we go and trace those students, the value which is required is shillings 13.5 billion for the two semesters,” Ndiwalana elaborated.

“There is no budget for capital development which was allocated. Development that had been started, construction of our office space requires an additional shillings 26.7 billion,” he added.

Posh rides

However, while responding to the above Micheal Kakembo Mbwatekamwa (Entebbe municipality, NUP) bashed UNMEB for wasting critical resources on purchasing an SUV for their boss in the ongoing fiscal year.

“As an MP, I have been listening to what people have been talking about MPs who are given shillings 200 million to buy a second-hand vehicle to drive and they are saying we are wasting taxpayers money. This is a vehicle which is worth over shillings 800 million, one vehicle, I don’t know how they can justify that before us,” he stated.

Kakembo argued that they should have enlarged their fleet of inspection vehicles, rather than pampering their executive secretary with a comfy ride which moreover is expensive to maintain.  

 “We appreciated the purchase of vehicles, the two double cabins but the wagon V8 new model, I remember I had submitted on the same and thought we could buy two other double cabins. If we need more vehicles to go deeper for supervision, why can’t we buy vehicles that are strong, durable and can help us go to the field,” he added.

However, before Ndiwalana could come in, Geoffrey Macho (Busia municipality, Indep) chipped in saying it is better to pamper a technocrat than a politician.

“In Uganda, we buy vehicles for musicians who clap for politicians. A vehicle which is more expensive than a vehicle of an executive secretary (ES) of an entity and when they submitted, I supported that you cannot get an executive secretary moving in a pickup when Kusasira, a musician is moving in a vehicle that is worth the standard of an ES,” Macho argued.

He added that if he was the head of these entities, he would purchase high end rides for all executive secretaries. 

Fast forward, the entities plan to iron out these sticking issues with the finance and education ministries when the house resumes on Thursday this week.