The Director General of Health Services Doctor Henry Mwebasa, has released a shocking report that indicates that hundreds of expectant mothers dying in government health facilities could have survived were it not for the negligence and outright avoidance of duty by senior staff including consultants.
Dr Mwebasa gave some atrocious examples at the weekend, like personnel in Mubende hospital who take long before referring cases they cannot handle to Kawempe, which journey takes three hours by ambulance, transporting a woman already in crisis. This in part explains the high maternal mortality figures at Kawempe national referral hospital, now standing at 120 deaths per month.
Hoima, Mubende and Fort Portal regional referral hospitals register 38, 23, 10 maternal deaths per month respectively. “Many senior medical staff are simply not delivering on their deployment,” the Director said as he commented on the ministry report at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital on the weekend. He blamed senior staff including consultants for abscondment and delegating responsibilities to junior personnel who simply cannot and are nit supposed to handle the duties, like operating on patients. The Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine disclosed that henceforth, the ministry is going to review the remuneration of medical personnel, pegging the salary payment to performance.
She said a digital solution has been installed, whereby the performance of a doctor shall be monitored and their pay made processed accordingly. Dr. Atwine however explained that they are not just after punishing offenders but the same system shall be used for rewarding staff who execute their duties above expectation.
