Stuffing gap still crippling Uganda’s health sector
Ministry of health is still grappling with the stuffing gap of 18,038 health workers at all levels, despite various efforts to recruit more health workers every financial year.
According to the Health Sector Development targets, ministry of health is meant to reach 80% stuffing level by the financial year 2018/2019 from the current 71% stuffing level which is way below the 74% stuffing target for this year.
While presenting a paper on facts and figures on health workforce in Uganda, during a civil society dialogue on Human resources for health, Dr Vincent Okecho the head of strengthening Human resource for health project in ministry of health said that currently Uganda has 43,277 health workers by June 2016 as opposed to the overall target of 61,315 health workers.
He explained that the ministry had resolved to recruit 2,000 health workers every financial year, but 747 health workers have been recruited and deployed this year as opposed to the target, creating a shortfall of 1,253 health workers.
The finds however revealed that much as the stuffing levels seems seemingly improving, but only 55% of the 71% stuffs work as expected to due daily absenteeism .
It has been revealed that absenteeism with or without approval stand at 45% and absenteeism without approval stands at 11.6%.
