Dr James Okello (blue) and other district officials attending a community Baraza in Purongo Town Council. Photo by James Owich.
Nearly half of Government health facilities in Nwoya District are functioning with less than 40% of the approved staffing level, straining healthcare workers amid rising demands for quality healthcare services, a report by the District Health Department shows.
According to Nwoya District Health Department, Nwoya has 17 public facilities, including one general hospital and eight health centre IIIs and IIs. Data also shows that most positions in the health sector have remained unfilled for a long time due to a piling wage bill. For instance, in all the 11 government health facilities in Nwoya County, only 247 (36 percent) positions have been filled out of 673.
At Anaka General Hospital, for instance, only 174 were recruited out of the 343 positions. Now the facility, which is the largest in the Nwoya district, lacks 169 medical staff. Yet, annually, the facility receives nearly Shs 600 million from the Ministry of Health in Primary Health Care grant to run.
A similar challenge is being faced by Purongo Health Centre III where out of the 43 positions available, only 14 have been filled out. The key personnels needed for the vacant key positions include nurses, clinical officers, midwives, doctors and palliative care nurses.
Nwoya district was curved out of Amuru in 2008, and currently has a population 220,593 who rely on less than 500 healthcare workers who are on government payroll. The delay to fill out the staffing gaps is attributed to low-wage bill by the Ministry of Public Service.
Dr. James Okello, the Nwoya District Health Officer notes that health workers are facing both ‘staffing gaps’ and ‘accommodation crisis,’ adding that some medical staff are forced to commute or share accommodation with their colleagues near their workplaces.
Addressing residents of Purongo Town Council during a community meeting organised by Nwoya District Local Government in partnership with The Hunger Project-Uganda on Tuesday, Dr. Okello cited that Purongo Health III was one of the most affected facilities, noting that only six staff members – out of the 14 – have accommodation.
“Six staff at Purongo are sharing accommodation because we do not have enough staff houses,” he said. Other challenges facing health sector in Nwoya District, he added, are delay in supply of essential drugs.
Mary Abur, a resident of Purongo Town Council, was among the patients who were affected by staffing gaps when she needed me medical support. For instance, Ms Abur cited an incident in On August 21, 2026, where she was left unattended to at Anaka General Hospital yet there were medical workers.
“I went to Anaka Hospital and no doctor attended to me. It seems they only care about younger patients but not old ones like me,” she said. Abur claims that she went to the hospital at around 7am and left at 6pm without being attended to,” she says. Nwoya DHO later apologised over the incident and urged Abur to report the matter to hospital’s administration to be addressed.
At the moment, Richard Matete, the Nwoya Chief Administrative Officer, says they are doing everything possible to ensure that more workers are recruited to fill out the gaps so as to improve service delivery.
Mr Matete noted that they are conducting community meetings to get feedback from the locals thus enabling them to identify the gaps to improve service delivery.
Meanwhile, Michael Opwonya, the Nwoya Assistant Resident District Commissioner, urged healthcare workers to work within their professional ethics despite the challenges they face at their place of work.
“It is very important to provide services to your patient despite all the challenges you face,” he urged healthcare workers.
This story was made possible thanks to NUMEC’s partner, The Hunger Project-Uganda.
