IGG clears cancer institute to recruit staff

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has given the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) the green light to recruit staff, which it halted six months ago.

The halting of the exercise followed complaints that it was marred by irregularities.

“The Inspectorate of Government has lifted the suspension on the recruitment process at the Uganda Cancer Institute as investigations into the matter continue,” a statement released by the IG yesterday indicated.

According to the statement, the decision followed an engagement between the IG, board and management of UCI, which took place at the IG head office in Kampala. It was, however, not clear when the meeting was held.

In the statement, the IG also revealed that the engagement was convened by the Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG), Ms Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, to address a series of complaints of maladministration and administrative injustice at the institute, in order not to derail service delivery at UCI.

However, the office of the IG declined to release information on what they discovered during the investigations

 “The deputy IGG, however, informed the members that the criminal matters would not be discussed, as investigations were still ongoing,”

The complaints against the institution highlighted by the IG’s letter include “irregular recruitment and appointment of staff without following established processes and procedures, unjustified dismissal of staff, non-payment of suppliers, and the irregular acquisition of hotel services”.

Others include alleged sexual harassment of staff, inflated prices for contracts executed at the institute, promotions that are not based on merit, misuse of funds meant for training and diversion of funds.

During the meeting, the deputy IG acknowledged efforts by the institution to have these complaints resolved and the urgent need to expedite the investigations as the institution provides critical health services to the public.

As a result of the suspension, the Gulu Cancer Centre, which needed 100 staff, was reported to have ceased operations making it harder for patients who cannot travel to Kampala, to access medical services.

The executive director of UCI, Dr Jackson Orem, yesterday welcomed the move to lift the suspension.

He, however, said the institution was yet to determine the exact number of people to be recruited.

“I haven’t yet received the letter so we haven’t actually started working on it. Our structure is now standing at 2,020 for the entire structure and I think for now, we might be able to go up to about 450 people and that is both for the centre in Kampala as well as the cancer centre which we have opened in Gulu,” he said during an interview.

“We also have something in Mbarara so that is the rough estimate. Right now on board we have about 300 staff in the centre,” he added.

When asked about the allegations against the institution and what they are doing about it, he said they were waiting for the IG report but were also conducting internal investigations.

“We cannot do our investigations extensively until we receive the report so that we respond to the issues. The complaints are there and we are trying to understand the validity of these complaints and if they are genuine, we can institute measures to correct them,” Dr Orem said

The institute is currently understaffed and even with the estimated addition, it still does not cover even 30 percent of the current approved staffing structure.

About UCI

The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) receives an estimated 30,000 new patients per year although only close to 8,000 get the required treatment which is partly attributed to the understaffing at the cancer centers around the country.