Health workers are often absent
Jul 30, 2009
EDITOR—I am happy the government is planning to recruit 1,000 health workers in the next financial year. However, unless the habit of absentism of the health workers at their stations is addressed, especially in rural areas, the effect of this massive
EDITOR—I am happy the government is planning to recruit 1,000 health workers in the next financial year. However, unless the habit of absentism of the health workers at their stations is addressed, especially in rural areas, the effect of this massive recruitment will never be felt.
I know a big number of health personnel in government hospitals and health centres who only appear at their stations once a month!
All they do is get an unqualified or less qualified person to stand in for them whom they pay some money and then go elsewhere to do their private business. Sometimes this is done with the knowledge of the medical superintendents or health centre heads.
This is a failure on the supervisory body of the ministry of health. They should pick a leaf from the ministry of education who, despite the miserable wages teachers earn, still ensure these teachers work regularly.
To my fellow health workers, we cannot continue pointing fingers at the government for being corrupt and inefficient yet to a large extent we are the ones failing government health programmes.
Allan Muhindo
Kampala
I know a big number of health personnel in government hospitals and health centres who only appear at their stations once a month!
All they do is get an unqualified or less qualified person to stand in for them whom they pay some money and then go elsewhere to do their private business. Sometimes this is done with the knowledge of the medical superintendents or health centre heads.
This is a failure on the supervisory body of the ministry of health. They should pick a leaf from the ministry of education who, despite the miserable wages teachers earn, still ensure these teachers work regularly.
To my fellow health workers, we cannot continue pointing fingers at the government for being corrupt and inefficient yet to a large extent we are the ones failing government health programmes.
Allan Muhindo
Kampala