The Ministry of Health has urged Ugandans to use the client satisfaction initiative, which allows patients to report errant health workers using Quick Response (QR) codes.
The call follows recent complaints about absentee health workers and malfunctioning medical equipment at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, which the public blamed for the death of local musician Araali Kigambo.
Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, announced on Monday that the government had installed a system to gauge patient satisfaction in public hospitals. She explained that users only need a smartphone to scan QR codes pinned in different hospital areas, which will direct them to a questionnaire about service provision.
Although the system has been operational for over a year, Atwine noted that many health facilities have been reluctant to use it, fearing accountability for poor performance. To address this, the ministry has conducted fresh reviews to ensure the system is fully functional and included it as a key performance indicator for hospital managers.
Since its launch in January 2024, Ministry of Health data shows that 37,408 patients have used QR codes to report on the care they received, with 34,080 expressing dissatisfaction.
Benson Tumwesigye, a health ministry official, noted that satisfaction levels decrease as one moves up facility levels, with regional referral hospitals registering the highest number of complaints. So far, 1,240 health facilities nationwide have recorded reviews.
Jamil Mpiima, the ministry’s digitalization focal person, said the satisfaction surveys are part of a broader digital transformation aimed at replacing paper charts with electronic medical records. He explained that digital records would help health workers quickly retrieve patient histories, reducing delays in care, especially during shift changes or patient referrals.
Beyond patient care, the system—already set up in 66 hospitals—also monitors health worker productivity and helps curb drug theft by enabling electronic prescriptions.
However, despite Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital having installed the system, Atwine revealed that a recent visit found the wiring had been tampered with, raising concerns about resistance to transparency efforts.
