Workforce Leaders Train to Develop Solutions to the Uganda Health Workforce Challenge

Mar 23, 2011

Last week, the Uganda Capacity Program kicked off the first week of a 24-week training course with 32 human resource managers and health workers from seven districts. The training encourages the participants to work in teams to identify and create a plan to resolve key challenges to meeting each district’s health workforce needs. During the first week, participants identified the need to:

  • Reduce patient/client waiting time at health facilities from two hours to 30 minutes
  • Make performance management at health facilities more efficient
  • Renenergize the currently stalled in-service training programs at Health Manpower Development Centre  
  • Remedy the chronic understaffing at health facilities
  • Improve the Health Unit Management Committees and Hospital Boards, which oversee health facilities and link these facilities with communities
  • Develop strategies to better retain health workers.

The participants then drafted workplans for their districts to remedy these specific problems. Over the next six months, the trainees will continue to learn about leadership and management, including how to develop strong, practical annual performance plans and conduct performance management in ways that are consistent with government policies and plans, including the national human resources for health plan, the 2010 national health policy, and the 2010 health sector strategic and investment plan as well as other government policies.