Kampala.
About 200 contract workers have lost their jobs as the Ministry of Health embarks on implementing a new structure approved by Cabinet at the end of May.
The Health minister, Dr Jane Aceng, on Friday said under the new structure, the ministry will no longer employ contract workers who are paid by government.
“We have clearly written and the letter has been clearly signed by the accounting officer that we shall not be renewing the contracts of these 200 contract staff,” Dr Aceng said.
Dr Aceng added that contracts for about 83 workers have already expired and the ministry has asked them to handover office since their contracts are not going to be renewed.
Some other 93 contract workers are also waiting for the expiry of their contracts at the end of September, where they will also be required to hand over office and also apply for jobs afresh under the new structure.
The affected workers are at the ministry headquarters in Kampala.
Recruiting new staff
“Anytime next week, we shall be submitting to the health service commission our requirements for the commission to conduct recruitment,” Dr Aceng said, adding that the structure was last amended in 1995 yet the population and health needs have since increased.
While defending the decision, she said due to resource gaps, it does not make sense to continue with contract workers, some of whom “were recruited into employment illegally.”
“It’s only correct that we recruit people under the new structure and also ensure that people who are employed are screened because I have never seen minutes for their recruitment,” she added.
The circular announcing the sacking of contract staff was issued by the acting permanent secretary, Mr Ronald Ssegawa Gyagenda, on Thursday.
The offloading of the contract workers comes on the heel of Monday’s public suspension of health workers at Nakawuka Health Centre III, Mpumudde village, Wakiso District by President Museveni. This followed complaints from the community about poor healthcare services and the attitude of the workers at the health centre. The ministry has since clarified that the health workers were not sacked; that the President only asked that they be transferred.
“They are going to be evaluated and those who will be found to have been undisciplined will be terminated,” Dr Asuman Lukwago, the ministry’s permanent secretary, told this newspaper on Wednesday.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health suspended the release of Primary Health Care (PHC) grants to 196 health facilities in the entire country under the categories of “Private-for-Profit” and “Private-not-for-Profit” facilities that are not affiliated to the medical bureaus.
“It has been established that some health facilities do not meet the eligibility criteria as per the provisions of the PHC grant guidelines, yet government has been remitting Shs2.1 billion annually,” Dr Aceng said.
Part of the guidelines indicate that the health facilities should be registered and certified as “Private-not-for-profit” by the NGO board, be accredited by a recognised national body or council, and approved by the director general health services. They must also be supervised and audited by the public governance bodies and should also show participation in community health activities on top of subsidising healthcare services.
Dr Aceng said some of the 196 facilities got on the list for funding illegally, whereas others have been charging patients exorbitantly despite receiving support from government.
She said the suspension will be lifted for those facilities that meet the criteria after the verification, and funds due to them will be remitted accordingly.
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