By URN
Health workers at Bujugu Health Center III in Ruguse Parish, Kikuube district are being accused of abscondment from duty.
Residents accessing health service delivery at the facility say the workers are not always on duty and the few who report come late.
The residents and leaders say patients who go to the facility to get medical attention at times spend the whole day without being attended to due to the absence of health workers.
Moses Kitaka, a resident of Bujugu explains that the absence of the health workers at the facility is greatly crippling health service delivery in the area adding that health workers who abscond from duty are putting the lives of patients at risk.
He said health workers not committed to serving Ugandans should be investigated and have their names deleted from the payroll.
Christine Ayebale, a resident of Ruguse wonders why the health workers abscond from duty and no action is taken against them.
Everlyne Akot, a resident of Bujugu Trading Centre explains that, due to the persistent absconding of health workers from duty at the facility, most expectant mothers had abandoned seeking services at the facility.
Christopher Byenkya, another resident explains that the health workers completely do not attend to patients, especially during the weekends stating that despite several complaints raised to the concerned authorities, nothing has been done.
He further reveals that some of the health workers are too harsh while attending to patients.
Alex Nsimire, the in-charge of the health facility says, they are facing a problem of staff shortage reporting that the facility has only nine staff instead of the recommended 55. This he says, gives a big gap in the health service delivery at the facility.
He has appealed to the government through the health ministry to recruit and deploy more staff at the facility to offer appropriate health service delivery to residents.
Scolla Kagindi, the Assistant District Health Officer (DHO) for Kikuube explains that health workers who abscond from duty are putting the lives of patients at risk stating that, those who are not committed to serving Ugandans should be investigated and prosecuted accordingly.
She explains that she had received several complaints from the public that health workers at the facility had developed a tendency to absent themselves from duty without official leave. This she says, has crippled sufficient health service delivery to the people.
She warned that her office would take stern disciplinary action against health workers who abscond from duty in the district.
Abscondment from duty by health workers in the Bunyoro sub-region has become common.
In January, Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health vowed to take stern disciplinary actions against health workers in the Bunyoro sub-region for abscondment from work.
Atwine then stated that she had received several complaints from the public that health workers in the region have developed a tendency of absenting themselves from duty without official leave, which she says cripples sufficient health service delivery to the people.
Atwiine directed the Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and the district health officers (DHOs) in the region to delete from the government payroll health workers who abscond from duty saying the act would not be tolerated.
She noted that health workers should stick to their profession and serve Ugandans diligently by providing timely and appropriate health service delivery noting that absenteeism among health workers has become another form of corruption that has rocked the health ministry,
