Nakaseke District has suspended 20 health workers from receiving their January salaries due to chronic absenteeism, a persistent issue that has severely affected service delivery in government health facilities.
Despite multiple warnings and even salary increments for health workers, absenteeism has remained rampant, forcing Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Sarah Nakalungi to take disciplinary action.
Nakalungi stated that the suspended workers had reported for duty fewer than 10 days in January, violating the Uganda Public Standing Orders and the 2009 establishment notice on absenteeism in the public service.
“Health workers must adhere to official working hours. Those who do not work should not expect pay,” Nakalungi said.
Chronic absenteeism among public health workers is not unique to Nakaseke but is a nationwide challenge. Some health workers report to their duty stations as late as 11 a.m., while others fail to show up for entire days, leaving patients stranded.
In response, the district introduced a policy to pay government workers based on actual working hours, ensuring that those who work less than 10 days in a month will not be paid.
Health workers often attribute absenteeism to a lack of housing facilities and long travel distances to their workplaces. However, Nakaseke Hospital—where some of the affected workers are stationed—has staff housing, yet absenteeism remains high.
National Health Leaders Back Disciplinary Action
Dr. Henry Mwebesa, Chairperson of the Health Service Commission, commended Nakalungi’s action, stating that poor supervision has allowed health workers to work as little as five days a month while still expecting a full salary.
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine, welcomed the salary suspensions but urged Nakalungi to take bolder steps and dismiss non-compliant workers.
“Unlike in the past, replacing health workers today is easy. Those who don’t want to work should be dismissed immediately,” Atwine said.
She noted that many absentee health workers operate private clinics, prioritizing their businesses over public service. Atwine called on local leaders to monitor health centers closely and recommend dismissal for habitual absentees.
A 2015 study by IntraHealth International found that 68.8% of public sector health workers were either failing to show up for work or leaving early to pursue secondary income sources.
With increased government funding for healthcare, authorities are now under pressure to hold health workers accountable to improve service delivery in Uganda’s public health facilities.
