The Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Gulu, Mr. Cosmas James Okidi, issued a directive on Friday, March 22, 2024, urging the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in Gulu to implement punitive measures against health workers known for their absenteeism and habitual avoidance of review meetings.
Mr. Okidi identified this unethical behavior among some health personnel during the district health performance review meeting for the second quarter (Q2) of the fiscal year 2023/2024. He noted instances where staff members would leave their facilities to attend review meetings, sign attendance for facilitation upon arrival at the meeting venue, and then disappear for personal engagements. He emphasized that such conduct is unacceptable and amounts to corruption.
The Deputy RDC instructed the facilitator of the review meeting, Uganda Health Activity, not to provide facilitation to health personnel who were detected leaving the meeting prematurely by roll call conducted by the DRDC’s office. He emphasized that the purpose of these meetings is to disseminate information back to the grassroots level, and any act of absenteeism undermines government programs and efforts toward socio-economic transformation.
Mr. Okidi also pledged to conduct fact-finding missions at all facilities regarding the utilization of Primary Health Care (PHC) funds and Results-Based Financing (RBF) funds provided by the government.
Furthermore, the Deputy RDC delivered a lecture on the three major delays contributing to deaths in the country: delay at home by individuals seeking health treatment, delay on the way due to the nature or distance of roads to facilities, and delay at health facilities due to absenteeism, negative attitudes toward work, or heavy workloads among health personnel.
In June 2017, President Yoweri Museveni launched a fast-track initiative to end HIV/AIDS in Uganda by 2030. This initiative, spearheaded by the Uganda AIDS Commission, aims to provide technical support and build the capacity of stakeholders for planning, coordination, advocacy, and reporting to relevant authorities.
The fight against various diseases requires a multi-sectoral approach and is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in advocating for the well-being of citizens.
A medical worker who attended the training, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed agreement with the Deputy RDC’s directives, highlighting the prevalence of such behavior in Gulu district where participants often register for events but disappear, only to return to collect facilitation at the end of workshops or trainings.
