Prime
Police summon health staff over absenteeism
Bupoto Health Centre III in Namisindwa District where health workers rarely work at night, weekends and on public holidays. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The Monitor last month ran a story, showing how health centres in Bugisu Subregion, are being operated by watchmen at night in the absence of nurses and midwives.
Health workers accused of absenteeism in Namisindwa District have been directed to record statements at Namisindwa Central Police Station.
This is on the orders of the State House Health Monitoring Unit whose officials have camped in the district to investigate, among others, allegations of absenteeism of health workers at various government health centres.
The Monitor last month wrote a story, showing how health centres, especially in the rural districts of Bugisu sub-region, are being operated by watchmen at night in the absence of nurses and midwives.
Findings also showed that health workers rarely work on weekends and on public holidays. The Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Hajj Imran Muluga, said they have ordered all implicated health workers to record statements over absenteeism and late coming.
He explained that last Friday, the State House team together with district officials visited Bupoto Health Centre III at 2pm and didn’t find staff on duty.
“When we asked for the attendance record of staff members at this facility, signatures indicated that the health workers had reported in the morning and left immediately,” Hajj Muluga said.
He said the purpose of the impromptu visits is to improve on the number of hours the medical staff devote to work in service of the local community.
“They (health workers) register in the attendance book and leave work. We have discovered that counselling and talking don’t work. No more massaging,” Hajj Muluga said.
The preliminary investigations indicate that many medical workers in the district spend most of their time at their private clinics than in government facilities.
Ms Juliet Kakai, a teacher, applauded this publication for unearthing the decay in the health centres in Bugisu Subregion. “It has been difficult to get treatment at night and on weekends in our health facilities in the region. Something should be done to save our lives,” Ms Kakai said.
The in-charge of Bupoto Health Centre III, Ms Suzan Mukimba, who is one of the implicated health workers, said she is currently on her annual leave.
“So I can’t comment. Kindly get to the District Health Officer for details, thanks,” Ms Mukimba said.
The DHO, Dr Steven Masai Wasu, could not be reached as our calls to his known mobile phone number went unanswered and neither did her reply to our short message Service (SMS) and WhatsApp messages.
The Chief Administrative Officer, Mr John Patrick Nuweabigaba, however, defended the accused health workers, saying they are not criminals to be taken to police to record statements.
“There is a procedure to discipline civil servants by not sending them to the police. Absenteeism is bad but it’s not a crime. There’s a need to find out why such health workers are absent. It can be handled administratively because they are not criminals,” he said.
