Dokolo Health Centre II serves four districts

DOKOLO.

A health centre II in Dokolo District is heavily burdened with the responsibility of offering services to four districts.

Located in Dokolo Sub-county, Awiri Health Centre is currently serving Dokolo and the neighbouring districts of Kaberamaido, Amuria and Alebtong.

The facility has only three health workers who attend to about 90 patients every day.

Given the workload, the health workers at Awiri are opposing the Public Service Standing Order, which requires the public servant to work for only eight hours in a day.

“We work like robots but we are paid as slaves,” the officer in charge of the health centre, Ms Anna Awino, told the Committee on Equal Opportunities of Parliament last week, adding that she is assisted by one midwife and a nursing assistant.

“We work extra hours. If the number of health workers is supposed to be sealed, let them (government) also seal for us the number of the clients visiting Awiri Health Centre II since we attend to patients from Kaberamaido, Alebtong and Amuria districts.”

According to Ms Awino, many people travel to Awiri because the services there are ‘impressive’.

Ms Awino asked Parliament to mount pressure on the government to ensure nurses are paid better.

“They (government) should recruit more health workers and post to health centres. Secondly, the health workers should be motivated. A nurse in U7 is getting Shs700,000. What do you think Shs700,000 can do? How many children do you think a nurse has? How about other necessities?” Ms Awino reiterated.

Ms Rosemary Tumusiime, the Entebbe Municipality MP, who led the committee, underscored the need to maintain the existing health centre IIs.

“It’s still important to maintain health centre II where government does not have health centre III. But also to upgrade Awiri health centre II to health centre III,” she said.