The Uganda Ministry of Well being, in collaboration with the World Well being Group (WHO), convened a two-day Nationwide Coverage dialogue on investing in and optimizing the well being workforce to realize Sustainable Growth Targets (SDGs) in Uganda.
The dialogue supplied a chance for policymakers, well being planners and companions to debate and undertake applicable options for addressing the well being workforce challenges in Uganda.
Satisfactory quantity and ability mixture of equitably distributed well being workforce, are crucial to attaining nationwide well being targets, common well being protection (UHC) and the health-related SDGs targets. Making certain satisfactory quantity and equitable distribution of human assets for well being require prepared entry to high quality knowledge and their use to tell evidence-based well being and well being workforce coverage and plans in nations.
Final 12 months, WHO supported the Ministry of Well being to undertake the Well being Labour Market Evaluation (HLMA), to higher perceive the human assets for well being dynamics in Uganda. The evaluation, a part of whose findings have been mentioned through the dialogue, offers an in-depth evaluation of the connection between political financial system, schooling, provide, demand, and the general want associated to well being employees in Uganda.
Findings from the HLMA point out that Uganda has an estimated want for well being employees of 342,832 in comparison with an total provide of 154,016. This interprets to 44.9% of the necessity for well being employees being accessible.
Talking on the opening of the coverage dialogue, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda’s Minister of Well being urged stakeholders to make use of the findings to tell Human Assets for Well being improvement interventions whereas advancing the nation’s well being agenda.
“There are efforts to make sure we’ve got satisfactory and expert human assets within the well being sector however the efforts are usually not but to the extent fascinating. We proceed exploring evidence-based methods and insurance policies to handle the challenges,” she mentioned.
In 2022, Uganda had a complete of 210 well being coaching establishments throughout 66 districts. The full inventory of well being employees in Uganda was estimated at 158,932 in 2022 with a density of 25.9 medical doctors, nurses, and midwives per 10,000 inhabitants. The general public well being sector wage invoice in Uganda has elevated by 15% between the 2018/2019 and 2022/2023 Monetary years.
Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO Consultant to Uganda applauded the Authorities of Uganda’s dedication to strengthening the well being system to understand common well being protection goal.
“Starting from elevated allocations to extra funding in well being infrastructure, and improved well being employee remuneration, it’s evident that the nation is heading in the right direction to realize common well being protection targets by 2030,” he mentioned.
The members acknowledged that investing within the well being workforce requires a whole-of-society and complete of presidency strategy. This strategy depends on multi-sectoral collaborations amongst authorities ministries, departments and businesses, improvement companions and the non-public sector.