Despite their crucial role in saving lives, Uganda’s nurses and midwives are grappling with severe challenges, including long hours, minimal pay, and a lack of support.
Many healthcare workers feel physically and emotionally exhausted as they continue to perform beyond their training to meet the demands of an overstretched healthcare system.
“We are awake day and night, fighting to save lives, yet we are not rewarded for the sacrifices we make,” said Joan Mugabi , Vice Chairperson of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU).
With grueling shifts and little rest, nurses and midwives are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of recognition and support from the government.
The situation is exacerbated by delayed deployment for nursing and midwifery graduates, with many remaining unemployed for years.
“Those who finished in 2003 are still in their homes. Kindly hear us out and put them on the list,” Mugabi urged, highlighting the plight of thousands of qualified nurses left without jobs despite an urgent need for healthcare professionals.
Adding to the discontent is the government's focus on recruiting enrolled certificate-level nurses, while those with bachelor’s and master’s degrees are often overlooked.
“The government must employ all nurses,” demanded Annet Birungi, General Secretary of UNMU, pointing to the lack of career progression opportunities and inadequate working conditions that are driving dissatisfaction in the sector.
While President Museveni's recent scholarship initiative for 18 nursing students was welcomed, it has been criticized as insufficient to meet the sector's growing needs.
Delayed payments for these scholarships have further fueled frustrations among healthcare workers.
"If the fees are not paid, nurses are going to demonstrate," Birungi warned, calling for an expansion of the scholarship program to support more nurses.
Uganda's healthcare sector faces systemic issues beyond financial concerns.
The Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examination Board (UNMEB) has struggled to accommodate a growing number of candidates, with figures rising from 54,943 to 62,702 between 2017 and 2020.
Despite a budget increase from shs23.4 billion to shs 32.4 billion, the funding remains insufficient to address the challenges in training and certifying nursing professionals.
As Uganda's nurses and midwives continue to call for government action, the risk of losing a vital healthcare workforce looms large.
The urgent plea for support and systemic reform highlights the critical need for immediate intervention to ensure the sustainability of the country’s healthcare system.
