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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The State House Health Monitoring Unit-HMU has stopped Masaka Regional Referral Hospital management from increasing staff contributions towards maintaining their quarters.
It follows a proposal by Masaka Regional Referral Hospital management to increase the fees from Shillings 30,000 to Shillings 50,000 each month.
Dr. Jackson Ojera Abucu, the Director State House Health Monitoring Unit, says it is unfair to increase the fees given the fact that the health workers have issues on how the maintenance funds are managed.
He also blames the hospital management for failing to maintain the compound of the staff contributions despite collecting money from them.
He asks the hospital management to stay the increase of the maintenance fees until it is discussed and agreed upon in a general staff meeting instead of being imposed on staff.
He also says that the unit is investigating the alleged mismanagement of maintenance fees worth Shillings 5.8 million, which is said to have been collected last financial year.
A health told URN on condition of anonymity for fear of being reprimanded by their superiors that they were never consulted by administrators and housing committee on the proposed increment.
Dr. Nathan Onyachi, the Director Masaka Regional Referral Hospital has defended the proposed increment of the maintenance fees, saying Shillings 30, 000 is very little given the expenses the hospital incurs to provide services to the staff using the quarters.
He says the hospital pays for security, security lights and compound cleaning among other services, which can’t be done using the current resources. Dr. Onyachi also dismissed allegations of missing funds, saying the State House Health Monitoring Unit was misinformed, adding that management is ready for a probe.
Masaka hospital staff quarters commissioned in 2014, houses at least 54 staff out of the about 286 staff at the hospital.
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