Equip health workers with management skills, commissioner advises

May 20, 2019

Dr. Opio Okiror, the commissioner in charge of human resources most health workers have not attained any management training.

In order to improve health services delivery in the country, there is a need to equip health workers with leadership and management skills, officials from the ministry of health have said.
 
Dr. Opio Okiror, the commissioner in charge of human resources at the ministry of health, observed that most of the health workers are proficient in clinical areas and have not attained any management and administration training, and yet they are assigned responsibilities to be in charges of health facilities.
 
While presiding over the leadership and management course graduation ceremony at Human Resources for health development Institute (HRHDI) in Mbale of 70 health managers in lower health facilities in Moroto, Napak,  Amuria, Dokolo and Amorat, Okiror said the course should not only focus on workers in hard to reach districts but should also be expanded to other areas since there is a need for health facilities to be managed well.
 

 Health managers in lower health facilities who completed a six months course in Leadership and Management cut a cake with the guest of honour, the commissioner in charge of Human Resources management at the ministry of health Dr. Opio Okiror.

"We emphasise this course because of the reports we have received about absenteeism in the health sector. Health facilities should be given proper skills on how to lead and build a team that works towards improving health service delivery in the districts," Okiror added.
 
The six months online course in adaptive leadership and management was supported by USAID through Intrahealth. The course was meant for the lower level managers in health centres II, III and IV.
 
The senior advisor Performance Management at IntraHealth International, Simon Mugalu said the whole idea of the training was to keep health managers with knowledge and skills in leadership and management because it plays a critical role in health service delivery.
 
The health workers attained skills in leadership and governance in the health sector, Human resources for health, management of medicines, managing financial resources at the facility level and Health information systems.
 
He added that before the training, they did a training needs assessment to identify the gaps in terms of knowledge and skills among health managers.
 

 The health managers who completed a six months course in Leadership and Management celebrating during the graduation ceremony 

The Principal of HRHDI, James Ikabat said, "in the art of offering services, we need leaders and managers who make things happen. We need people to utilise this effectively to produce output but also to offer quality healthcare service to the community.
 
Ikabat requested the government to mobilise more partners to help take the training to another level, adding that the districts should also be empowered to take on the training.
 
"We have tested it and it works, we need to train health managers," he added.
 
One of the best students Rebecca Amulen encouraged other health managers to take up a chance if there is an opportunity. She said the course has benefited her on how to deal with colleagues who are having conflicts at the workplace.

 

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