KCCA seeks to recruit over 200 health workers

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA wants government to recruit over 200 health workers to address staff shortages in its health facilities.

Richard Lule, the Director Administration and Human Resource in KCCA told council on Monday that the Authority has written to the Public Service Ministry  for a new human resource structure for KCCA health centers.

He says once the Public Service Ministry designs a new human resource structure for KCCA hospitals, the Authority shall engage the Health Service Commission to recruit more heath workers.

Lule says their assessment shows that they need about 107 and 88 health workers for Health Centre IV and III respectively.  KCCA has over ten health centers spread in the five divisions of Kampala including Kisenyi, Kiswa, Kawaala, Komamboga, City Hall, Kisugu, and Kitebi health centers among others.

According to Ministry of Health,  Health center IV gets 48 health workers and one doctor, Health center IIIs get 19 health workers without a doctor while a health Center II is meant to get five health workers and without doctor. The target is for the Health center IV, III and II to serve a population of 100,000, 20,000, 5000 people respectively.

A report by the KCCA Standing Committee on Health shows that KCCA Health Centers are under-staffed compared to the large number of population they serve, which exceeds the Health Military target.

According to the report, Kisenyi Health Center has 37 midwives, eight clinical officers, two doctors, four general doctors and three psychiatrists serving over 1000 patients a day and over 600 deliveries a month.

The health facility handles caesarian cases, almost 26 per month and yet has one theater assistant and no anesthetic officer. Kawaala Health Centre III has two doctors, 36 midwives and one clinician serving over 850 patients a day. Kawaala has a theatre but no anesthetic officers and only one theater assistant.

The facility can handle over six caesarian cases per week. Kitebi Health Center III has no doctor, 20 midwives and three clinicians serving over 150 patients a day.  The committee also found that about forty health workers were taken from Kisenyi and Kawaala Health Centers to beef up man power at Kawempe and Kiruddu Referral Hospitals.

Many of these had been promoted from theater attendants to theatre assistants.

*****

URN