No wage for mass recruitment of health workers, says minister

Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has hinted that government is far from mass recruitment of health workers, citing lack of money and other national priorities.

“We don’t have enough wages yet. Wage is a recurrent expenditure, and you have to be prepared to pay pension and gratuity. This has to be planned for,” she said on Thursday.

She added: “Since we are just out of a big pandemic that caused economic challenges globally, you cannot talk about mass recruitment now.”

Aceng was responding to questions from journalists after offering an update on the status of the Ministry of Health’s 2021-2026 manifesto under the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

“President Museveni is talking about development of the railway transport, energy and roads. You can’t combine them all (with recruitment) at the same time. The Ministry of Public Service guided that recruitment will be done in a phased manner,” she explained.

‘Fighting absenteeism’

According to government data, Uganda is grappling with a shortage of at least 187,000 health workers.

“Given the types of diseases we are dealing with and the standards we have set, Uganda requires a workforce of about 342,832 health cadres as opposed to the current 155,000 cadres,” Dr Alfred Driwale, the Commissioner for Institutional Capacity Building and Human Resource Development at the ministry of health said at a WHO organized event on June 27, 2024.

A 2024 analysis of the health labor market report done by the Ministry of Health with support from WHO concluded that Uganda currently has 7, 793 medical specialists to serve the country’s 45.9 million people.

The report also indicates that nursing professionals, both in the public and private sectors, are 739, 556 with 32, 959 midwifery professionals, 504 dental surgeons and at least 1,712 pharmacists. 

“Despite the shortage, there is a lot of absenteeism of health workers because of dual employment and running private clinics. Digitizing the health sector is one of the tools that we will use to truck performance,” Dr Aceng reacted on Thursday.

Meanwhile, government has expressed commitment to facilitating critical specialists and supportive staff needed to improve the health system.

Aceng revealed that although 47 senior consultants and consultants were posted to various referral hospitals in 2021/22, specialists in pathology, anesthesia and radiology are still limited.

Generally, staffing levels in local governments stand at 31 per cent as opposed to government's ambitious 85 per cent target. 

‘Commissioning Lubowa hospital’

Regarding health infrastructure, over 400 health facilities have been upgraded to health centre III, “but there was delayed recruitment of health workers to fully operationalize the facilities.”

Plans are underway to upgrade Kira, Nabweru, Bweyogerere, Goma, Kawaala, Kiswa, Namuwongo, Komamboga, Kisugu and Koome HC IIIs to HC IVs while Kawaala, Bondo, Kachumbala, Patongo HC have already been upgraded to health centre IIIs.

Still on Thursday, Aceng disclosed that the controversial multi-billion shillings Lubowa International Specialized Hospital is due for commissioning in 2025 saying 45 per cent of construction works are now complete.

On the fate of interns who were not considered for practice, Aceng said government is overwhelmed following the increase in the number of universities from five to 31, amid limited infrastructure and supervisors.

“We have universities that enroll students twice in a year. When you start receiving over 2,000 interns, you can’t deploy all of them. Those from universities that enroll twice have to wait,” she noted.

Aceng emphasized that the Ministry of Education has developed a clear policy to guide the issues of Interns.