10,000 nurses fail to get jobs over licences
Recognised. Ms Doris Okudinia(centre) whose picture went viral on social media while wheeling a patient to Arua hospital, receives the nurse of the year certificate during the international day of nurses in Kampala on mAY 12, 2020. PHOTO BY KELVIN ATUHAIRE
What you need to know:
- Reason. The nurses council attributes the delays to internal leadership crisis that have delayed the procurement process.
More than 10,000 nurses who completed their studies in 2018 and 2019 have failed to get jobs because the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC) had not yet given them licences although officials say the certificates now are ready for collection.
A nurse, who completed a certificate course in 2018 but preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, said she lost three job opportunities last year because she did not have a practicing certificate.
“I first had an opportunity with a private facility but they said they could not recruit me because I lacked a licence. Another job came in October last year and I also missed out on that. In December, someone approached me for an opportunity but I told them I was still waiting for my practicing licence. I don’t know whether I will get another chance,” she said yesterday.
Appeal
Ms Stella Anyango, the branch treasurer of Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union for Mulago hospital, appealed for urgent intervention in the matter.
She said fewer nurses have continued to bear the burden of work yet there are many vacancies.
“We will continue crying out that we don’t have enough nurses, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic when we need more nurses. Whoever is handling issue of nurses certificates, I appeal that the issue be handled quickly and these people get their practicing licence,” Ms Anyango said. Ms Annet Birungi, the national treasurer of Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union, said UNMC has been embroiled in wrangles, which affected the registration of nurses.
“It is not good for students who have completed and want to work but you spend years on the streets redudant,” she said.
Ms Angellah Ilakut, the UNMC acting registrar, however, said the certificates were ready and attributed the delays to internal crises.
“The certificates of all the people who qualified in 2018 are ready. People who qualified in 2019 from January to July are also ready. The certificates were delayed because there was a change in the leadership in the council and troubles that delayed the procurement of blank certificates and their delivery,” Ms Ilakut said.
“As a result of that, we could not produce the certificates immediately, and when the new leadership came in, there was a backlog of certificates we were to work on so there was no way we could work on the certificates of 2018 and 2019,” she added. All nurses and midwives working in Uganda are required to have a general practicing licence which is renewed every three years.
Ms Ilakut also blamed some of the complainants for failing to show up when they are called to provide vital information to the council.
“Most of their certificates are ready, but they have not come to pick them up. Some have incomplete information. We call some of them to come and fill forms so that we can complete the process but they don’t show up,” she said.
All nurses and midwives working in Uganda are required to have a general practicing licence which is renewed every three years.
