Prof Omaswa calls for citizen participation in delivery of health services
As the country experiences new diseases, the Executive Director of African Center for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST) Prof Francis Omaswa has called on government to revise the national staffing norms for health workers so as to respond to national disease burden.
Omaswa made the remarks in Kampala while addressing health workers and stakeholders during the launch of health workforce financing study report.
He said every citizen has the duty or right to participate in delivery of health services.
Prof. Omaswa questioned the quality of students admitted in the medical schools saying majority are admitted in a radius within Kampala region.
Edward Mutabazi, a technical advisor on Human Resources in the Ministry of Health, said the ministry had ensured that all vacancies in the health sector are filled and that the government was trying to improve on the wages of health workers/professionals.
Mutabazi revealed that the government was trying its best to ensure that every medical worker undergoes induction and continuous professional development.
Mutabazi expressed dismay on the issue of "presentism" where civil servants report to office, leave their coats on office chair and go out to do other activities outside office before returning to collect the coat late in the evening.
Dr. Vincent Ojoome, the former commissioner for Health Services in the ministry of Health, noted that the government recognizes shortage of health workers as a bottleneck to delivery of health services and that the funding for the health sector is gradually going down.
