In response to ongoing concerns about absenteeism and low output among medical professionals, the government has taken steps to address these issues. The Ministry of Health has recently written to the directors of public hospitals, instructing them to submit detailed reports on the performance of medical officers, specialists, and consultants in their facilities.
Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Director General of Health Services, issued this directive, following a report published by a local news paper highlighting the persistent problem of health worker absenteeism, despite substantial recent salary increases. In the letter, Dr. Mwebesa requested monthly output reports for medical officers, specialists, consultants, and senior consultants, starting with September 2023, with subsequent reports due by the 14th of each following month. These reports should include information about ward rounds and major procedures conducted by these professionals.
The Ministry of Health is taking this action based on findings from recent visits to healthcare facilities. These visits revealed a lack of evidence of output from some doctors and specialists. For instance, some consultants were found to work for only eight days but still received their full monthly salary, which had been increased from Shs6 million to Shs12 million. Unauthorized absenteeism rates in the public sector were reported at 11 percent, while authorized absenteeism stood at 38 percent, resulting in an average of 50 percent.
To address these issues, the Ministry of Health is in the process of developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which will be used to evaluate staff performance quarterly. These KPIs will be shared with hospital directors in the coming month, with the aim of improving accountability and transparency in the healthcare sector. Directors are encouraged to follow the example of monitoring outputs set by Dr. Emmanuel Batibwa at Mubende Hospital.
