19/04/2026
Greetings Stakeholders,
Allow me to appreciate the Ministry of Health- Uganda for the innovation of Community Health Barazas.
These forums, held in government facilities to assess service delivery and quality of care are a valuable accountability tool.
Having followed several barazas over time and as a Nurse passionate about improving quality of care, I have taken note of recurring gaps and I will share my thoughts.
LWF has since been invited to many facilities to help design programs|CPDs that empower staff to upgrade their skills.
Importantly, most issues are not technical,they revolve around non technical areas such as communication, attitude,ethics,rudeness etc.
Let me specifically comment on the recent baraza held at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.
I wish to thank all the dedicated healthcare workers who continue to uphold professional standards.However, this message must also reach those “rotten apples” that tarnish our profession.
At the recent Masaka RRH Heath baraza,there was alot of anger directed at healthcare workers. The community raised several serious complaints,
· Poor communication
· Open extortion of money
· Excessive use of mobile phones
· Attitude problems
· Delays in service delivery
· Shortages of medicines and equipment
· Preventable loss of lives among patients and mothers etc
The community was firm and I appreciate this approach, because it ensures accountability from all sides,the Ministry of Health, the hospital and the community.
Truthfully, gaps exist and we all see them.
However, I strongly recommend that as the Ministry collects this feedback, we also recognize the challenges healthcare workers face that are beyond their control.
At the same time, workers must learn to show up with respect and confidence to speak about those challenges.
Staffing remains a major issue in many government facilities too many patients, too few workers.
I am often challenged by colleagues when attitude and communication problems arise.
Community say healthcare workers are rude, communicate poorly or don’t care about their work.
The question is: Is this a personal or character issue?
Or does it stem from lack of support, overwhelming workloads, burnout and eroded patience? -Share with us where the problem lies 😊
Genuine feedback is essential, but this is a two sided matter. The government and the Ministry must address many structural issues,
Staffing gaps, poor working conditions,working hours, remuneration, support etc.
On the other hand, we must empower healthcare workers to act professionally, communicate correctly and remain ethical.
For example, if the government has provided some drugs but others are out of stock or the CT machine is down or a patient needs a referral from a Health Centre II due to a complex condition how does a worker communicate this so the patient does not feel offended, disappointed or angry?
By the way, it is often small things that upset patients, leading them to label healthcare workers as rude when it may actually be miscommunication.
The government has done a greatly to improve most government facilities and we appreciate that.
Now we need to work on the healthcare worker so they can meet the expected standards, advocate for what is right, and do the right thing.
Attitude and mindset change programs are critical. Soft skills capacity building are urgently needed in government facilities to empower healthcare workers to adopt the right approach to work and deliver services with respect and integrity.
P.S. We are LWF, your trusted partner for all capacity building trainings in soft skills, entrepreneurship and work readiness.
Let’s start a conversation to collaborate and improve health service delivery in this country.
What are your thoughts about these Community Health Barazas ?
www.littlewinniefoundation.org
Contact +256771045642
Nabukeera Winnie -Nurse Advocate,Social Entrepreneur,Soft skills trainer,CPD expert,Farmer
