The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine, has warned medical staff at government hospitals against absenteeism, stating that if they do not stop, they will be disciplined according to the regulations.
She made these remarks while inspecting Mubende Regional Referral Hospital during a review of government health services.
Dr. Diana Atwine, the Ministry of Health's Permanent Secretary, has strongly condemned doctors who abandon their duties, open private clinics, and leave patients unattended in government facilities. She was in Mubende to assess the functioning of health services in government hospitals.
One notable issue she raised was the failure of government hospital administrators to monitor the equipment and supplies, leading to their depletion without knowledge, causing doctors to start charging patients extra for medical supplies, which in turn leads to public complaints against the government.
During her inspection, she did not only criticize but also highlighted a new hospital under construction, which has already cost over 9 billion Ugandan shillings, but some aspects are not functioning well, and she requested an audit.
However, she noted that while construction continues, there are still shortcomings in providing services for the less fortunate, and she has called for the relocation of offices to where patients receive treatment.
The Mubende District Health Officer, Godfrey Mawa, stated that although health services in Mubende are generally good, there is still a shortage of Health Center III facilities in some sub-counties according to government plans.
The head of Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Batibwe Emmanuel, mentioned that this year the hospital has seen an increase in medical staff and beds, from 26 to 347, and the number of referrals to Mulago has decreased due to the presence of senior specialists.
Mubende's Presidential Representative, Birungi Abubeker, noted that they are now going to address the issue of medical staff misconduct by implementing a presidential directive aimed at correcting the behavior of doctors in various districts, which has led to inadequate service provision to the public.
