Lira City health officials are concerned about the shortage of staff in their department to provide essential health and office services to residents.
Currently, the City Health Department is operating with only 89 out of the required 175 staff members across health facilities, city, and division health offices.
This staffing level is equivalent to 51 percent, falling below the national recommended minimum of at least 75 percent. The shortage is evident in various positions, such as having only one health assistant out of the required 13, three senior clinical officers out of the needed seven, 14 enrolled nurses instead of the required 23, and 13 midwives out of 16.
Furthermore, the city health office, which should have ten staff members, currently has only one – the principal medical officer. Dr. Bernard Otucu, the Lira City Principal Medical Officer, expressed his concern regarding the impact of this staffing gap on service delivery at all levels.
He also highlighted that the situation is expected to worsen when the facilities currently undergoing upgrades become operational, as the city is currently not authorized to recruit new staff.
Dr. Otucu, stated “This can only get worse once we operationalize Punouluru and Anyomorem Health Centers upon completion of construction in the next financial year. We also have to take note that Ober and Adyel, which are classified as HCIV and HCIII respectively, are currently reflected in the Integrated Public Health Information System (IPPF) indicating that we have analyzed the staffing gaps reflecting them as facility levels below which they are performing.”
A lab technician, speaking anonymously, shared the difficulties faced at understaffed facilities. Due to the shortage, they often have to handle the workload of multiple staff members, compromising the quality of services provided.
“Every HCIII is supposed to have at least a lab technician and a Lab assistant but due to the staff shortage, most of our HCs are having only one lab personnel (either one technician or one assistant), and this person is supposed to do the work which should have been done by two people and that is a lot of work. So because of that the service is jeopardized.”
Lira City comprises of two referral facilities, one general hospital, one HCIVand ten HCIII facilities The department relies on volunteers in both the office and 17 government-funded health facilities, as well as 472 Village Health Teams (VHTs) and 95 Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) for support.