Dr Atwine turns heat on absentee doctors in Fort Portal, makes transfers

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health has called for expediting the amendment of current public service standing orders to allow for the termination of unproductive staff in public health facilities as staff absenteeism and negligence hamper service delivery. 

Dr Diana Atwine, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary said today that during the stakeholders’ dialogue on health service delivery at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, held at Booma Grounds, Fort Portal City, they took some immediate action on absentee staff. 

"During today’s dialogue, key challenges were highlighted, including absenteeism, as many health workers are engaged in private clinics yet unwilling to vacate government positions for those willing to serve. Other issues identified include negligence and gross extortion," she announced on X Friday afternoon. 

"In response, we have taken immediate action by transferring a number of health workers and initiating disciplinary measures. However, the transfer process alone does not address the root cause of the problem—it merely shifts the issue. The current procedures for disciplining permanent and pensionable staff are lengthy, cumbersome, and ineffective. To ensure accountability, there is a critical need to amend the standing orders," she added. 
 
Dr Atwine also acknowledged they need support to make these reforms a reality to address the gaps in service delivery. 

"This (reforms) will enable us to replace unproductive staff with qualified, active, and jobless health workers who are eager to serve with dedication," she added. 

This is coming a few months after President Yoweri Museveni last October directed the Ministry of Public Service to explore possible ways of reprimanding doctors on the government payroll who moonlight in private health facilities.

According to the President, he has all along been opposed to the idea of removing public servants from the permanent and pensionable terms to contracts, however, he noted that there are growing concerns that a large number of civil servants especially doctors absented themselves from duty and spend much of their time working in their private facilities yet they draw monthly salaries from the government.   

In his letter dated October 16, 2024, and addressed to the Minister of Public Service Wilson Muruli Mukasa, Mr Museveni cited the example of Dr Godfrey Pariyo Bonane, an orthopaedic consultant, formerly attached to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, whom he accused of always not being at his work station.

“I have received complaints regarding Dr Pariyo, who previously worked at  Masaka Government Hospital. The complaints are that he does not work, and he is most of the time absent. These complaints rhyme with the sentiment that was being expressed in one of the caucuses. This annoyance with traitorous public servants has led some people to talk about removing public servants from the permanent and pensionable terms to contracts which I have never supported. Why?” the President said, adding “…it is because I don’t want our public servants to kuhahaara (when somebody is ever worried about something). This can be exploited by bad supervisors to coerce public servants to do bad things. In my counter-argument against contracts for public servants, I have cited examples of UPDF. Their terms are permanent and pensionable. However, their SOPs are very strict.” 

In the same letter, the President ordered the minister for public service Mukasa to issue revised Public Standing Orders to make it easier to punish civil servants who absent themselves from duty without sounding reasons.

However, Masaka Hospital Principal Administrator, Mr Charles Tumushiime said Dr Pariyo is no longer their staff after being interdicted and later transferred to Arua Regional Referral Hospital about four years ago.

“He contested the interdiction and later dragged the hospital to court where he won the case, and he was given back his job before being transferred to Arua,” he said.