Challenges of retaining health workers in the PNFP Sector: The Case of Uganda Catholic Health Network

Shortage of human resource for health poses a major challenge to achieving the millennium development goals. Uganda is among the 57 countries with human resource shortage reaching critical level and the situation is worst at lower levels of the health system. The private-not-for-profit (PNFP) health sub-sector in Uganda complements government efforts to achieve the MDG, the second health sector strategic plan (HSSP II) and the health-related objectives of the poverty eradication plan (PEAP). The Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau coordinates the Roman Catholic health facilities network, one of the three PNFP networks in Uganda. This paper, presented at a conference organized by the Faculty of Health Sciences of Uganda Martyrs University in March 2007, looks at the HRH crisis as experienced by the UCMB network giving the trend, examining the reasons, the destinations of attritional cases and what the network is trying to do to improve human resource stability. The information is based on quarterly reports received by the bureau from its affiliated health facilities

ART IN UGANDA CATHOLIC CHURCH HEALTH FACILITIES: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Uganda Government plans to scale up access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) through the involvement of all stakeholders including public, private, Non-governmental organizations, Private-not-for-profit providers etc. based on the use of the existing institutional framework. Like other stakeholders, health facilities of the Catholic Church stand some opportunities to participate in this process. However, it is already clear that the rollout process is overstretching both the implementing health facilities and the Ministry of Health. The human and infrastructure resource demand is fast proving overwhelming. This is worse for the private-not-for-profit facilities. Salary enhancement for government staff alone will further weaken the PNFP partners from contributing effectively in the rollout. Integration of the ART programme into the comprehensive function of the hospitals faces difficulty from its "project" or vertical nature. There is concern over the visible drain of resources from other activities of health facilities providing ART and possible weakening of these facilities. The future sustainability is progressively being questioned. It is proposed that government assists the Church and other implementing partners in strengthening the existing framework as a composite part of the rollout package. It is also suggested that strengthening of the Public Health approach that Uganda is already partially practicing could offer some relief. Strengthening of the community-based approach is particularly advocated for

Challenges of retaining health workers in the PNFP Sector: The Case of Uganda Catholic Health Network

Shortage of human resource for health poses a major challenge to achieving the millennium development goals. Uganda is among the 57 countries with human resource shortage reaching critical level and the situation is worst at lower levels of the health system. The private-not-for-profit (PNFP) health sub-sector in Uganda complements government efforts to achieve the MDG, the second health sector strategic plan (HSSP II) and the health-related objectives of the poverty eradication plan (PEAP). The Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau coordinates the Roman Catholic health facilities network, one of the three PNFP networks in Uganda. This paper, presented at a conference organized by the Faculty of Health Sciences of Uganda Martyrs University in March 2007, looks at the HRH crisis as experienced by the UCMB network giving the trend, examining the reasons, the destinations of attritional cases and what the network is trying to do to improve human resource stability. The information is based on quarterly reports received by the bureau from its affiliated health facilities

ART IN UGANDA CATHOLIC CHURCH HEALTH FACILITIES: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Uganda Government plans to scale up access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) through the involvement of all stakeholders including public, private, Non-governmental organizations, Private-not-for-profit providers etc. based on the use of the existing institutional framework. Like other stakeholders, health facilities of the Catholic Church stand some opportunities to participate in this process. However, it is already clear that the rollout process is overstretching both the implementing health facilities and the Ministry of Health. The human and infrastructure resource demand is fast proving overwhelming. This is worse for the private-not-for-profit facilities. Salary enhancement for government staff alone will further weaken the PNFP partners from contributing effectively in the rollout. Integration of the ART programme into the comprehensive function of the hospitals faces difficulty from its "project" or vertical nature. There is concern over the visible drain of resources from other activities of health facilities providing ART and possible weakening of these facilities. The future sustainability is progressively being questioned. It is proposed that government assists the Church and other implementing partners in strengthening the existing framework as a composite part of the rollout package. It is also suggested that strengthening of the Public Health approach that Uganda is already partially practicing could offer some relief. Strengthening of the community-based approach is particularly advocated for

Evaluation of a digital triage platform in Uganda: A quality improvement initiative to reduce the time to antibiotic administration.

BackgroundSepsis is the leading cause of death in children under five in low- and middle-income countries. The rapid identification of the sickest children and timely antibiotic administration may improve outcomes. We developed and implemented a digital triage platform to rapidly identify critically ill children to facilitate timely intravenous antibiotic administration.ObjectiveThis quality improvement initiative sought to reduce the time to antibiotic administration at a dedicated children's hospital outpatient department in Mbarara, Uganda.Intervention and study designThe digital platform consisted of a mobile application that collects clinical signs, symptoms, and vital signs to prioritize children through a combination of emergency triggers and predictive risk algorithms. A computer-based dashboard enabled the prioritization of children by displaying an overview of all children and their triage categories. We evaluated the impact of the digital triage platform over an 11-week pre-implementation phase and an 11-week post-implementation phase. The time from the end of triage to antibiotic administration was compared to evaluate the quality improvement initiative.ResultsThere was a difference of -11 minutes (95% CI, -16.0 to -6.0; p ConclusionA data-driven patient prioritization and continuous feedback for healthcare workers enabled by a digital triage platform led to expedited antibiotic therapy for critically ill children with sepsis. This platform may have a more significant impact in facilities without existing triage processes and prioritization of treatments, as is commonly encountered in low resource settings

Refugee Settlements and Cholera Risks in Uganda, 2016–2019

ABSTRACTDuring 2016 to 2019, cholera outbreaks were reported commonly to the Ministry of Health from refugee settlements. To further understand the risks cholera posed to refugees, a review of surveillance data on cholera in Uganda for the period 2016–2019 was carried out. During this 4-year period, there were seven such outbreaks with 1,495 cases and 30 deaths in five refugee settlements and one refugee reception center. Most deaths occurred early in the outbreak, often in the settlements or before arrival at a treatment center rather than after arrival at a treatment center. During the different years, these outbreaks occurred during different times of the year but simultaneously in settlements that were geographically separated and affected all ages and genders. Some outbreaks spread to the local populations within Uganda. Cholera control prevention measures are currently being implemented; however, additional measures are needed to reduce the risk of cholera among refugees including oral cholera vaccination and a water, sanitation and hygiene package during the refugee registration process. A standardized protocol is needed to quickly conduct case–control studies to generate information to guide future cholera outbreak prevention in refugees and the host population.</jats:p