FDC tips govt on health
Aug 26, 2009
THE Government should increase funding to the health sector to prevent deaths in public hospitals, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has advised.
By Francis Kagolo
THE Government should increase funding to the health sector to prevent deaths in public hospitals, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has advised.
The party said unless government addressed the inadequate number of staff and medical equipment in hospitals and poor remuneration of health workers, the country was heading for a “health disaster.â€
Referring to a recent case where Sylvia Nalubowa of Mityana died in labour allegedly due to the negligence of nurses, the FDC deputy publicist, Toterebuka Bamwenda, said health workers were not to blame for poor performance.
“The health sector is inadequately funded, If health workers are not paid good salaries and allowances to enable them carry out their work effectively, the result is what occurred in Mityana,†Bamwenda said during the party’s weekly press conference on Monday.
“Neglecting the health sector is a deliberate Government policy. The NRM is not concerned with what happens to the local poor citizens of this country,†he added.
Uganda’s health sector is mainly crippled by the inadequate staff arising out of many doctors leaving for greener pastures abroad.
According to the United Nations Report, 2.5 health staff are needed per 1,000 population.
In Uganda, this ratio is 1.5 staff per 1,000 people. This means the country has a deficit of one staff per 1,000 people.
According to the health ministry, Uganda requires more than 26,700 additional health workers for its current population.
Apart from staff shortage, there is imbalance in staff distribution. The European Union Human Resource for Health Project analysed the 2002 housing and population census and found that 73% of doctors in Uganda were in the central region.
Of these, 64% were in Kampala city, which means that Kampala takes 46% of the country’s doctors.
The study showed that there were 59.3% doctors per 100,000 urban people, compared to 3.3 doctors per 100,000 rural people.
Besides, even the available health workers have continuously complained of poor remuneration. On average midwives earn between sh150,000 and sh250,000 a month while doctors earn between sh500,000 and sh800,000.
Unless such challenges are addressed, Bamwenda warned, the country’s life expectancy would deteriorate.
On Olara Otunnu’s return and the possibility of the opposition to field one candidate for the 2011 presidential elections, Bamwenda said the parties were holding “healthy†talks.
He decried the Police for battling FDC youth during a demonstration against the reinstatement of Dr. Badru Kiggundu as electoral commission chairperson last week.
“We showed the public it was illegal to renew Kiggundu’s term. It is a ploy by government to rig more elections. We shall continue to oppose him,†he stressed.
THE Government should increase funding to the health sector to prevent deaths in public hospitals, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has advised.
The party said unless government addressed the inadequate number of staff and medical equipment in hospitals and poor remuneration of health workers, the country was heading for a “health disaster.â€
Referring to a recent case where Sylvia Nalubowa of Mityana died in labour allegedly due to the negligence of nurses, the FDC deputy publicist, Toterebuka Bamwenda, said health workers were not to blame for poor performance.
“The health sector is inadequately funded, If health workers are not paid good salaries and allowances to enable them carry out their work effectively, the result is what occurred in Mityana,†Bamwenda said during the party’s weekly press conference on Monday.
“Neglecting the health sector is a deliberate Government policy. The NRM is not concerned with what happens to the local poor citizens of this country,†he added.
Uganda’s health sector is mainly crippled by the inadequate staff arising out of many doctors leaving for greener pastures abroad.
According to the United Nations Report, 2.5 health staff are needed per 1,000 population.
In Uganda, this ratio is 1.5 staff per 1,000 people. This means the country has a deficit of one staff per 1,000 people.
According to the health ministry, Uganda requires more than 26,700 additional health workers for its current population.
Apart from staff shortage, there is imbalance in staff distribution. The European Union Human Resource for Health Project analysed the 2002 housing and population census and found that 73% of doctors in Uganda were in the central region.
Of these, 64% were in Kampala city, which means that Kampala takes 46% of the country’s doctors.
The study showed that there were 59.3% doctors per 100,000 urban people, compared to 3.3 doctors per 100,000 rural people.
Besides, even the available health workers have continuously complained of poor remuneration. On average midwives earn between sh150,000 and sh250,000 a month while doctors earn between sh500,000 and sh800,000.
Unless such challenges are addressed, Bamwenda warned, the country’s life expectancy would deteriorate.
On Olara Otunnu’s return and the possibility of the opposition to field one candidate for the 2011 presidential elections, Bamwenda said the parties were holding “healthy†talks.
He decried the Police for battling FDC youth during a demonstration against the reinstatement of Dr. Badru Kiggundu as electoral commission chairperson last week.
“We showed the public it was illegal to renew Kiggundu’s term. It is a ploy by government to rig more elections. We shall continue to oppose him,†he stressed.