Museveni decries shortage of health workers

Jinja. President Museveni has partly attributed the challenges facing the health sector to shortage of medical workers in the country.
According to the President, shortage of health workers has not done the health sector any favour, apart from crippling services delivery.
Speaking at the second graduation ceremony of 500 nurses and midwives at International Institute of Health Sciences in Jinja earlier in the week, President Museveni, in a speech read on his behalf by the State minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Elioda Tumwesigye, said: “As you all know, we have a challenge of health workers in our hospitals and health centres.”

The President said it is obvious that something must be done to sort out this problem.
He continued: “The government has constructed many health training institutions to train various categories of health workers who will be needed to provide quality service to our people. But the number of qualified health workers is still not enough for the country.”
According to Mr Museveni, the ratio of doctors to patients is pathetic compared to international requirement.
“It is estimated that there is one doctor for 2,725 patients and one nurse for 11,000 patients instead of the international requirement of one doctor to 1,000 patients,’’ President Museven further said in his speech.

As a way forward, he said Africa cannot develop if it continues to import workers (labour) from overseas, adding that Uganda needs to train her own pool of talents and thereafter maintain them here in a move to curb brain drain.
He also said government is making all necessary effort to ensure that highly trained cadres, including medical doctors, specialised nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists are equally distributed around the country.
The President also said government is making all efforts to equip health centres, especially health centre IVs and III with proper and qualified medical personnel.

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