Ugandan doctors -rural urban migration. Who is to blame?

by Drew Ddembe on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 7:44pm

Okello (NRM) says,
 
Grace you said there are no doctors in some districts. You just don’t understand Uganda problems. All university trained Doctors want to work in Kampala, many times ministry of health has raised this as a concern. Doctors dont want to work in rural hospitals and health centers so I dont know who we can blame here. State house is now majoring in sponsoring only two categories of professionals. Engineers and Doctors and every year Universities are pouring our trained and qualified doctors but they all want to work is town areas so I just dont understand the basis of your claims.”

 
 
Now Okello wants to blame individual doctors for refusing to be exploited, being posted to the sticks without a salary, or equipment while money is being eaten at the centre for which they are blamed!
 
I know doctors who have left Uganda or t…heir upcountry posting after working for upto a year without pay!
 
It is the job of the government to design programmes to attract and retain doctors to rural areas. This is a worldwide problem noit just Uganda’s. Many western countries such as Canada, Australia and even the US have the same problem. South Africa and many other African countries have problems of rural urban migration of doctors as well as international migration!
 
these other governments do not whinge about it. they get down and design programmes to both attract and retain doctors to rural areas. The government has got a duty of care to people living in the country. In many western countries, rural distance and remoteness make it quite challenging whereas in Uganda most of the population is rural! in essence by failing to provide medical services to rural folk, the government abdicates its responsibility just as it has done in many areas of medical training!
 
it is not the job of individuals to provide services that the government has abdicated responsibility for! it is the role of the government to facilitate doctors in providing services to remote areas! this requires planning!
 
Okello has once again demonstrated that this government does not plan for the provision of medical services to the 85% of its people living in rural areas!