ENTEBBE: Minister Kawooya Cautions Health Workers Over Continued Absenteeism

By Sadique Bamwita

ENTEBBE

The State Minister for Health in charge of General Duties, Hon. Hanifah Kawooya has strongly cautioned medical workers at Entebbe General Referral Hospital over continued absenteeism at the health facility.

The Minister said despite enhancement of salaries of health workers, the level of absenteeism has continued to escalate to the extent that some patients no longer seek medical services from government health centers.

She sounded the warning while addressing health workers on Thursday August 8, 2024 in Entebbe during a regional health review of five districts under Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital.

Hon. Minister Kawooya noted that the review of health services is aimed at strengthening health services at Entebbe Regional Referral hospital.

She disclosed that the biggest challenge affecting delivery of health services in government health centers is persistent absenteeism of medical workers at their respective health centers.

‘You go to a government health center, you find no doctors, no specialists except patients who are unattended to. This is so disheartening and indeed it doesn’t measure up with enhanced salaries of medical workers,’ she lamented.

The Director Public Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, said that in order to address the issue of absenteeism, the government has developed a digital system to be able to identify absentee health workers.

“ Our monthly payments will be based on the biometric machine which will tell the number of days a medic has worked in a month and in the event one has not worked for 18-21days in a month will not qualify for a monthly payment. ‘

The Director Entebbe Regional Referral hospital, Dr. John Bosco Nsubuga, has called on the government for improved health care saying it’s a huge aspect in health service delivery.  He added that to achieve improved health care, there is need to invest heavily in diagnostic services, human capital and emergency health services.