In the bustling city of Kampala, the heart of Uganda’s healthcare system, the walls of the hospitals echoed with the struggles of health workers and the resonance of change.
The air was filled with a mixture of hope and skepticism as the Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, addressed a gathering at the seventh Grand Doctors Conference and Annual General Meeting.
Dr. Aceng began by acknowledging the government’s effort in raising the salaries of medical workers by a staggering 100 percent the previous year. The figures were impressive— a senior medical consultant now earned 17.4 million shillings, a significant jump from the previous 7.3 million.
Medical consultants were now receiving 12.7 million shillings, and principal medical officers were taking home 8 million, a substantial increase from their previous 4.5 million. Even enrolled nurses saw a boost, their salaries now standing at 1.3 million, up from a meager 613,000 shillings.
However, Dr. Aceng expressed concern about the tangible impact of these salary increments on the quality of healthcare services. She revealed that many health workers had diverted their increased earnings into establishing private businesses, a move that had inadvertently left patients unattended in hospitals.
Her voice resounded with a mix of frustration and determination as she stated, “Before I read… leaving our patients to suffer.”
The Minister went on to elaborate on the Ministry’s recent restructuring efforts. They aimed to open doors to all existing and potential specialties, a proactive measure to prevent the loss of potential specialists who might train abroad and then choose not to return. The emphasis was on accommodating the evolving landscape of medical expertise.
Despite these efforts, Dr. Herbert Luswata, the Secretary General of the Uganda Medical Association, provided a tempered perspective. He mentioned that it was still too early to gauge the full impact of the salary increment.
While some health workers were indeed working harder due to the financial boost, a comprehensive evaluation was necessary. He affirmed, “It’s true that… we get correct data.”
The Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, took the stage indirectly through Dr. Aceng. She acknowledged the concerns raised by the public and assured them that the Ministry of Education was diligently working towards standardizing the quality of education and training in universities and health institutions.
The goal was to bridge the gap between public expectations and the reality within government health facilities.
As the conference concluded, the corridors of the hospitals seemed to resonate not only with the challenges but also with a collective determination to navigate the complexities of improving healthcare in Uganda.
The future held the promise of better services, provided the echoed sentiments were met with concrete actions.