Namisindwa Health Workers Hire Volunteers to Cover for Absenteeism

What the report says

The State House Health Monitoring Unit has raised concerns about service delivery at several public health facilities in Namisindwa District, saying weak supervision, misuse of public resources and patient safety risks are being worsened by absenteeism among health workers. The issue was identified during a 10-day monitoring exercise that covered multiple facilities in the district, according to Nile Post.

The monitoring team included medical doctors, pharmacists, financial auditors and monitoring and evaluation officers. Elijah Semaganda, an assistant director at the unit, said the exercise was prompted by complaints submitted through the health monitoring dashboard about poor basic health services. He said some facility leaders were spending only a few days a month at work, with some allegedly working for just a week over six months.

Nile Post reported that the team also found cases where health workers had allegedly hired volunteers to cover their duties while they stayed away from their posts. The qualifications and licensing status of some of those volunteers could not be verified, which raised concerns about the quality and safety of care. The unit also said one volunteer was found accessing a medicines store and was accused of stealing drugs; investigations were said to be ongoing.

The findings come as the government continues efforts to improve health-worker welfare through salary enhancements. The monitoring unit said tighter supervision, better attendance and ensuring only qualified personnel handle patients would be important to improving services in Namisindwa.