'Poor remuneration paralyze health service delivery'

Robinah Kaitiritimba, Dianah Tibesigwa from DSW and Prof. Fred Ssengooba from Makerere University

Two senior health experts have blamed low medical staff salaries and inadequate research for wide service delivery gaps in the health sector.

A senior lecturer at Makerere University School of Public Health, Prof. Freddie Ssengooba noted that the shortcomings have negatively impacted on the effectiveness of the sector.

Ssengooba suggested that Government moves from financing only basic research to in-depth research, in addition to revising remuneration of health service providers at all stages.

Some of the members who attended the dialogue

He made the remarks on Friday while making a presentation during a one-day National Presidential Dialogue on quality of health services in Uganda, held at Mukono Colline Hotel.

The dialogues under the theme: "Improving health service delivery to ensure quality care for all" was attended by government officials including Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, resident district commissioners, district chairpersons, civil society organisations and the media.

The dialogue, the first of its kind, was organised by Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Quality of Health Services (UPAQHES) in partnership with Advocacy for Better Health and other civil society stakeholders.

The executive director for Uganda National Health Consumers Organisation (UNHCO), Robinah Kaitiritimba, noted that health workers have lost respect and trust among the community, adding that because of low pay, they resort to working in more than one health unit to enhance their meagre earnings.

"Motivation is a key issue in service delivery, without it, you cannot regulate and manage health workers, "she noted, adding that motivation is not limited to only salary, but also applies to other areas such as logistics.